


Maas University

by emjbe2609



Category: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas, Crescent City Series - Sarah J. Maas, Throne of Glass Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: College AU, Human AU, Probable angst, The whole gang really - Freeform, University AU, ah who am I kidding if I continue with this there will definitely be angst, sorry if this is ooc its been a while since I've written, there will definitely be some canon divergence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:35:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 31,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23366299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emjbe2609/pseuds/emjbe2609
Summary: Basically this is a modern day human au where all of Sarah J Maas's characters go to a university together. There will be shenanigans, mistakes will be made, and Aelin still might light something on fire. And all of this because Aelin, Feyre, Danika, and Bryce were roommates (oh my god they were roommates).I'm trying to stick to the plots of the series but with a modern twist. We'll see how well it goes.
Comments: 12
Kudos: 76





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> no warnings for this chapter!! :)

Chapter 1

Nesta released a loud sigh as she tapped on the brakes once again, knocking Feyre out of her daydream and dragging her attention away from the trees that lined the highway. She looked over at her oldest sister, who stated, «I don’t even know why you’re choosing to live in an on-campus dorm anyway.» It took all of Feyre’s self control to keep her from rolling her eyes as her sister continued, «I’m just saying, it would save you money in the long run if you just stayed with Elain and I in our apartment. You wouldn’t have needed to take out another student loan then!»

«Nesta,» Elain said from the passenger seat, placing her arm on her older sister’s shoulder. «Maybe it’s time for Feyre to branch out, and make more friends! This could be good for her!»

«Have you even spoken to your roommates yet? Do you even know who they are?» Nesta’s eyes narrowed as she swiveled her head briefly to look at Feyre, who sat in the back seat, nestled between boxes of her belongings.

Feyre waited until her sister’s eyes were back on the road before she responded. «Yeah, kind of.» It wasn’t an outright lie. She did know who her roommates were, but their conversations had been few and far between. One of her roommates, a girl named Bryce, had created a group chat over facebook messenger when their roommate assignments had initially been released, which the group of girls used to coordinate who was bringing what communal items for the dorm. Beyond that though, Feyre hadn’t really spoken to them. She’d followed them on social media, but didn’t really engage with them. She supposed that she should shoot them a message saying that she was about an hour away from campus, but upon looking at her phone, she decided against it. They were all about to arrive soon, anyway.

«What are they like?» Feyre could barely hear Elain’s whisper soft voice over the drumming of Nesta’s fingers on the steering wheel, accompanied by mumbled curse words, as her older sister waited for the cars in front of them to move.

«They seem nice.» Again, not a complete lie. Their few conversations had been fairly lighthearted and fun. In an attempt to ease her sisters’ minds, she added, «Aelin is from Erilea, and Danika and Bryce are both from Valbara, I think.»

Elain offered Feyre a small smile before turning to face the front of the car again. With that, Feyre went back to watching the trees on the side of the road. Though it had only been a few hours since she had gotten in Nesta’s car and begun the journey to university, she couldn’t help but realize how different the trees she now gazed at looked from the ones she was used to seeing on her walk to her high school. She supposed she should get used to that though. Nothing was going to be the same this year, as annoyingly cliche as that line was. Her sisters and father were constantly reminding her of the new people she would meet at university; how her classmates would hail from different states or even different countries altogether. Feyre found it hard to forget that living in a dorm would be vastly different from living at home, especially when it was a topic that Nesta brought up every weekend when her and Elain came to visit and check on Feyre and their father.

The sharp stop of the car jerked Feyre out of her thoughts once more as Nesta announced, «We’re here!»

Feyre quickly began gathering up whatever belongings she could easily carry. «Okay, I have to go check in and get my room key, and then we can come back for the rest of this.»

Nesta eyed the line of people waiting to pick up their keys, which was already appeared to be a decent length, despite the fact that it was only nine in the morning. «Elain and I don’t have all day, you know!»

«Yes,» Feyre sighed, climbing out of the car, «but I can’t exactly get into my room without my key.»

«Nesta,» Elain said, stepping out of the car as well, looking at the oldest Archeron sister over the hood of their car, «what if we started moving Feyre’s boxes over to her building while she waits in line for her key?»

Nesta opened her mouth, a complaint, Feyre was sure, lodged at the tip of her tongue, but then closed it and nodded. She exhaled heavily as she popped the trunk of her car. Feyre began to make her way over to the end of the line, shaking her head. The campus itself was quite pretty, she noted. Most of the dorm buildings had greek-style columns over the front entryways, with signs hanging above the doors that read, «Welcome Back!» Almost all of the buildings appeared to look over a grassy square where a bunch of students were milling around. Feyre watched as a group of girls squealed and ran towards each other, practically tackling each other over with the force of their hugs. _Maybe I’ll make friends like that,_ she thought, beginning to imagine what it would be like to be so excited to see somebody. She stopped herself before she let her thoughts wander too much, though. _Best not to have high hopes._

«Don’t worry; you’ll get used to it.» The girl in front of her in line smiled back at her, uncrossing her arms from over her chest, and extending a hand towards Feyre. «I’m Alis.»

«Feyre.» Alis’s hand was warm to the touch.

«Nice too meet you, Feyre.» Alis began to catch up with the line, walking backwards and facing Feyre as she asked, «You are a first year, right?»

Feyre nodded in response.

«Well, welcome to the chaos that is Maas University.» Alis flashed a little smile, her eyes darting over to the quad, where a group of boys were now playing with a frisbee. «I wouldn’t be too nervous if I were you, though. Most of the people here are harmless! What dorm are you in?»

 _That’s an interesting choice in adjectives._ Feyre forced the thought out of her head before she pondered it too hard. «West Hall.»

«Oh, you got quite lucky then!» Alis pointed across the quad to a building with a brick facade and a semicircle overhang supported by four greek-style columns. «That’s one of the nicest dorms for first years. Most first years don’t have a kitchen in their dorms.»

Feyre opened her mouth to respond, but stopped short when she realized that Alis had turned around and was now talking to a boy who sat behind the check in table. She supposed that the line really had moved faster than she thought it would. «Next,» called another boy seated behind the table. Feyre approached the table, wringing her hands and offering a small smile to the boy on check-in duty. He was quite tan, with dark black hair and striking violet eyes, and a lopsided grin seemingly plastered on his face. _This might be the most beautiful man I have ever seen,_ Feyre caught herself thinking.

«And what might your name be?» _Even his voice is somehow flawless,_ she thought. The low tones of his voice were melodic, reminding her of the music she liked to listen to while painting.

She cleared her throat lightly before responding. «Archeron. Feyre Archeron.»

«Ah,» he replied, his grin still in place as he began shuffling through the manila folders that laid on the table in front of him. «A beautiful name for a beautiful girl.»

The boy beside him, who had just finished up with Alis, snorted. «Rhysand, we’re here to help people move in, not to flirt.» He glared at Rhysand before quickly returning to his own work.

«I’m hardly flirting,»Rhysand replied, extending a manila folder towards Feyre while looking at his companion.

Feyre grabbed the folder. «Do you do this for every girl, then?» She raised an eyebrow.

The corners of his mouth twitched further upwards as he turned to face her, but before he could even respond, his table mates all chorused a variation of, «yes.»

Feyre shook her head, turning on her heel, and beginning her journey back to Nesta’s car to see if there were any boxes left to be moved. «Prick,» she muttered under her breath. With a beauty like his though, she supposed that she should’ve known that he would be a flirt. Especially with that gods damned smile. The ease with which he smiled reminded her of nights spent in the hayloft of the barn with Isaac, of stolen kisses had long after curfew. How many times had he flashed her a smile like that, only to end up leaving her when a better opportunity arose. _Don’t even think about Isaac,_ she argued with herself, _it’s not as if you were super into him either._

«Took you long enough!» Nesta’s yell cut across the parking lot towards Feyre. Elain offered Feyre a small smile, although it was almost concealed by the huge box she carried.

«Here, let me take that.» Feyre shoved the manila envelope under her arm as her sister transferred the box into her hands. «Is this the last one?»

«Yes, fortunately,» Nesta huffed, locking her car and then shoving her keys into her pocket. She took off at a brisk pace towards the building that Alis had pointed out before as West Hall.

«Your other boxes and bags are stacked up by the side of the door.» Elain flashed another grin at her sister.

«Okay.» Feyre readjusted the weight of the box in her hands, her arms beginning to ache. «We should be able to get everything up in one trip if we take at least one bag and one box each.» Following a glare from Nesta, she added, «I’ll take whatever is left over after that.» She hadn’t brought much with her to college. Then again, she hadn’t had much to bring. Besides the essentials like clothes, toiletries, and school supplies, the only personal belongings she had to her name were some art supplies, and maybe a photograph or two. Everything else she had had growing up was either shared between her and her sisters, or had been deemed unnecessary by Nesta, and therefore had found no place in the car.

Nesta reached the pile of Feyre’s belongings first, and immediately handed off the lightest bag and the smallest box to Elain, before taking the second lightest bag and box for herself. That left Feyre with her backpack, filled with notebooks and sketchbooks, the box she was already holding, and two tiny boxes. Sighing, Feyre placed the box in her hands on the ground, and placed the two tinier boxes on top of it. After hoisting the backpack onto her shoulders, she slowly picked up the boxes, wrapping her fingers around the bottom of the big box as she shot a prayer to whoever was listening that she didn’t drop anything.

«What’s your room number?» Nesta asked, tapping her own student ID against the scanner and hitting the button for the handicapped door with her elbow. The moment the doors opened, she darted in, beelining for the elevators before Feyre could even respond. Feyre had to admit that Nesta’s speed was impressive, as was the way she darted through the groups of people hugging and crying in the lobby.

Nesta had already hit the call button for the elevator before Feyre could respond. «308.» The elevator doors opened with a loud ding, and the sisters all rushed inside, Nesta pushing the buttons for the third floor and to close the doors in rapid succession. Feyre hadn’t thought it possible for someone to ferociously press an elevator button, but Nesta was damn close to proving her wrong. They rode the elevator in silence for 3 floors, and Nesta was the first one out the doors when they opened again, once again walking with a purpose towards Feyre’s room.

Once Feyre and Elain had caught up with their sister, Nesta immediately asked, «Where’s your key?»

«Right here.» Feyre shrugged her left shoulder, keeping her upper arm firmly tucked against her body as it rubbed over the manila envelope.

«Give me that.» She felt the envelope being pulled out from under her arm, and despite the fact that she couldn’t see her oldest sister’s face over the boxes, she was sure that she had rolled her eyes. Feyre heard the door opening, and walked towards the sound of her sister’s footsteps. Another sound tickled at Feyre’s ears. It was the popping of cooking oil, as if someone was making eggs.

«Is my roommate behind that tower of boxes?» A laugh cut across the room, followed by the sound of footsteps. «Here, let me help you with those.» Immediately, the weight was lifted out of Feyre’s hands, and calloused fingers brushed over hers. Now able to see in front of her, Feyre took in her surroundings. The dorm itself was quite spacious. A short hallway opened up into a shared space with a small kitchen and a plastic white table with four blue plastic chairs around it. Just past that, a light wood loveseat with blue cushions and a pair of cushioned light wood chairs to match made a semi circle around a coffee table made of the same wood. In front of the windows at the very end of the room stood a tv on top of a pale wooden shelf.

The girl in front of Feyre turned around, handling the boxes like she had been doing it her whole life. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a messy bun, and she wore a pair of light wash mom jeans with a black t-shirt and a pair of brown Birkenstock sandals. She walked towards a door on the left hand side of the room, halfway between the kitchen and living room. Beyond the doorway laid a narrow bedroom with two beds, two desks, and two wardrobes. Under each bed was a dresser with three drawers, made from darker wood than the furniture outside. The wardrobe was made of the same wood as the dresser, whereas the bed frame and the desk matched the lighter wood of the furniture in the common are, leading Feyre to scrunch her eyebrows. The sides of the wardrobes were clearly scratched and worn, with little divets criss-crossing every surface. She wondered why the university hadn’t bothered to replace the old furniture, especially when everything else appeared to be in new condition.

Feyre’s roommate placed the boxes on a bare, dark blue mattress before extending her hand in Feyre’s direction. «I’m Aelin, by the way!»

«Feyre.» As she took her roommates hand, she really took the girl in front of her in. Her facial features were sharp and striking in and of their own right, but her most striking feature was definitely her eyes. The ring of gold around the pupil of her otherwise blue eyes entranced Feyre, and she found herself tempted to whip out her sketchbook right then and there, and capture what she saw in a quick sketch. Filing that thought away for later, she added, «Nice to meet you!»

«Right back at you!» Aelin winked, her smile fading immediately as Nesta and Elain both placed Feyre’s boxes on the bed as well. «Oh shit, my eggs!» The blonde darted past Feyre’s sisters and back to the kitchen, nearly knocking Nesta over in the process. «Sorry,» Aelin called at the same time as Nesta yelled, «Watch it!»

Elain just shook her head with a small smile, her blonde curls falling over her ears. «She seems nice, at least!»

If looks could kill, Aelin would be dead with the way Nesta was glaring over her shoulder at her. Turning back to look at Feyre, Nesta said, «You should be able to take it from here.» Feyre just nodded as Nesta turned on her heel and marched out of the dorm room. Elain offered Feyre one last small smile and a brief hug before following the oldest Archeron sister out. As she heard the door close, Feyre turned back to look at Aelin’s side of the room. It was already fully decorated. A dark green tapestry with a silver stag head hung on the wall over her bed, which was covered by a dark green comforter and silver pillows. Her notebooks sat on her desk, and her backpack was leaning against the desk, next to a black desk chair. A windowsill at the far end of the room seemed to be doubling as a bookshelf for Aelin, who had piled her books up so high that Feyre doubted they would ever be able to open that window. Sighing, she turned back to her barren side of the room, biting her lip and eyeing her boxes.

«Were those your sisters?» Aelin’s voice was accompanied by the sounds of the garbage can being open and shut again, and a frying pan being tossed into the sink.

«Yeah,» Feyre replied as her roommate entered the room. «Were your eggs salvageable?»

She couldn’t help but smile as her blonde roommate flopped dramatically back onto her bed. «Unfortunately, no.» Aelin huffed a sigh. «A truly tragic end to my breakfast plans.»

Feyre laughed as she began to remove the tape from the heaviest of her boxes. «How early did you get here? I thought I was going to be on the early side, but it looks like you’re already completely unpacked!»

«Oh!» Aelin bolted up into a seated position, swinging her legs over the edge of her bed. «I actually had to move in a few days early, for sports.»

«Oh, nice!» Feyre began to remove the boxes from her bed as she searched for her fitted sheet.

«Yeah, they make us come early so we can meet with the athletic trainers, sign some more paperwork, get set up in our team locker rooms, and the like. Also so they can lecture us again about the four ‘D’s.»

«The Four ‘D’s?» Feyre’s fingers wrapped around her dark blue fitted sheet, and she began the task of covering the mattress with it.

«No drinking, drugs, dating, or dick appointments.» Aelin recited, counting off each item on her fingers as she listed them. «So basically, we’re not allowed to have any fun. At least, not that the athletic directors know of.» Feyre heard the slap of her sandals on the floor before Aelin spoke again, this time from right behind her. «Do you want help with that?»

Feyre blushed as one corner of the fitted sheet flew out of position yet again. «Thank you.» Her voice was a near whisper as Aelin masterfully pulled the sheet taut over the mattress.

«It’s no problem, really!» Aelin’s grin was somehow both warm and wicked as she looked at Feyre. «Now where’s your top sheet?»

Feyre dug around in her box and tossed Aelin part of the sheet, and began tucking in the other side as the door to their dorm clicked open again. «Oh, honey! This is so nice,» a voice cooed from the kitchen. Aelin grinned in Feyre’s direction again before swiftly hopping off the end of Feyre’s bed and rushing towards the kitchen. Feyre finished tucking in the sheet, and then followed suit.

«Hello,» Aelin called as she darted into the common area. Feyre was right on her heels, a small smile of her own tugging at her lips. A dark haired couple stood in the kitchen with a red haired girl who appeared to be around Feyre’s age.

«Hi,» the girl called in response, narrowing her eyes as a small smile appeared on her face. «You must be Aelin?» It came out as more of a question than a statement, and Aelin nodded in response. The girls golden eyes now fixed on Feyre, narrowing a little more as she said, «And, by process of elimination, you must be Feyre.» With Feyre’s small nod, the girl laughed, «Sorry, I’ve just been following all of you on social media since the roommate assignments came out. You and Danika post a lot.» She pointed towards Aelin with her head. «But it took me some serious digging to find a picture of you!» Feyre blushed under the girls gaze. She was right though, Feyre supposed. She never really posted pictures of herself, but rather of landscapes and scenes that she wanted to paint at some point. Sometimes she’d post pictures of her artwork as well, but more often than not, she wouldn’t.

Aelin laughed. «So you’re Bryce, then?»

Bryce nodded. «And these are my parents.»

«Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Quinlan!» Aelin extended a hand towards Bryce’s parents.

«Oh please,» Bryce’s mom replied as she placed the box she was holding on the kitchen table and took Aelin’s hand, covering it with both of her own hands. «Call us Ember and Randall!» Ember smiled warmly at the girls, and even Randall’s lips twitched upwards a little bit.

«The room on the left is full,» Aelin said, taking some of the boxes that the Quinlans had placed on the floor as Feyre quickly grabbed the box that Ember had placed on the table. «But the double on the right is empty.»

Bryce laughed, «Not anymore, its not!»

Feyre followed the pair into the room, noting that the dorm door was opening yet again. As Bryce, Aelin, Feyre, Ember, and Randall had all made their way into Bryce’s bedroom, two more pairs of footsteps followed.

«It should be right through here,» another blonde girl said over her shoulder. She turned around and took in the crowd in the narrow sleeping space, greeting them all with a wolfish grin. «Hello, roomies!»

Aelin laughed in response as Bryce smiled and said, «You must be Danika!»

Danika nodded, dropping her bags and boxed on the bed on the right side of the room. She was immediately followed by another woman, who bore a striking resemblance to her, save for the fact that the frown lines etched into her face appeared to be a permanent structure. «And this is my mother, Sabine. Please forgive her nasty attitude, she was really hoping that my roommates would somehow be hot guys that she could drool over.» Danika looked at the girls and rolled her eyes with a laugh. Feyre picked at her cuticles and offered a small, closed lipped smile in response.

Ember Quinlan made the first move towards Sabine, extending a hand in greeting. «I’m Ember, I’m Bryce’s mom.» Sabine, however, made no attempt to recognize that anyone had even spoke to her, and instead focused only on her daughter. «Danika, I don’t understand why you’re being so stubborn about this. You deserve a room to yourself, so let me talk to housing and fix this mistake they’ve made.»

Danika groaned as she set down her bags. «Because, mother, I don’t need everything handed to me on a silver platter, and my roommates, who are all standing right there, seem pretty freaking cool, and do actually want to live with them.» The blonde set her brown eyes on Bryce, smirking before rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

«You know,» Ember continued, as Randall eyed Sabine with a frown, «I was thinking that maybe we should do a group family dinner tonight, to get to know each other. Especially since our daughters are all going to be living together this year.»

Sabine again made no attempt to acknowledge anybody else presence, huffing as her daughter began unpacking boxes.

«That sounds lovely,» Aelin began, leaning against the windowsill at the far end of the room. «but I’m not even sure if my parents are still in town.» Ember raised an eyebrow in her direction, and Aelin explained, «I had to move in a few days ago, for sports. I know they said they were going to hang around for a bit in case I needed anything, but I’m not sure how long they meant.»

«I never got to ask you what sport you do.» Feyre’s voice was quiet as her eyes flitted between her roommates, Sabine, and Bryce’s parents.

«Are you kidding?» Bryce looked up from the suitcase she was unzipping down by her wardrobe. «It’s all over her instagram!»

Feyre blushed. «I guess I’ll have to start using social media more, huh.» She glanced down at her feet, at her blue vans that she had painted little white stars on.

«It’s okay,» Aelin said with a laugh, throwing an arm over Feyre’s shoulder. Despite her support, Feyre was tempted to disappear into the oversized grey Maas University hoodie that she wore. «I do triathlon.»

Randall’s eyebrows raised as he nodded. «Impressive.»

«So you actually do triathlons?» Danika’s head peeked out from behind the wardrobe doors. «You don’t just pose with your bike?»

Bryce and Aelin both laughed at this one. «If only it were that easy,» Aelin sighed.

«What about you, Feyre?» Ember’s soft eyes met Feyre’s expectantly.

«I don’t do sports,» Feyre responded, her fingers playing with the end of her hoodie’s strings.

«No, I meant are your parents still in town?»

Feyre felt a blush creeping up again. «Oh, sorry! Actually, my dad didn’t come to help me move in.» Ember raised an eyebrow. «My oldest sister is a grad student here, and my other older sister is a senior. They share an apartment off campus, and picked me up early this morning.» Feyre sighed, surveying her unpacking roommates. «Speaking of which, I should probably finish unpacking myself.» She started to make her way out of Bryce and Danika’s room and towards her own room.

«I guess Randall and I will just take all of you girls out to dinner tonight, then.» Bryce opened her mouth in protest, but Ember spoke again before Bryce could. «Aelin, if your parents are still in town, they’re more than welcome to come, and Feyre, your sisters are of course welcome as well. The offer extends to you too, Sabine.»

Feyre exhaled quickly through her nose, half smiling at the thought of Nesta and Sabine sitting at the same dinner table. Sabine saved her from having to respond, however. «That won’t be necessary.» Sabine’s voice was sharp as she walked towards the bedroom door, pushing past Feyre as she did so. Her every step was accentuated by the click of her shoes against the wood floors. The echo of her steps continued until the sound of the dorm door shutting drowned them out.

«Good riddance,» Danika muttered with a snort, still pulling clothes out of her suitcase.

«Mom, can we take a rain check on dinner?» Bryce kept her hands under layers of clothes in her suitcase as she spoke. «I think it might be better for us to get to know each other without parental involvement. Plus we have a floor meeting with our RA tonight.»

Ember pursed her lips, but Randall placed a hand on her back and just looked down at her. After the two had made eye contact, Ember sighed and said, «Okay, but we’re grabbing dinner tomorrow then!»

«Looking forward to it,» Bryce replied with an easy smile.

Feyre took the opportunity to actually head back to her room and finish putting her belongings away. She hastily threw her comforter and some pillows on her bed, and then looked at her remaining belongings. There wasn’t much left; mostly just clothing, art supplies, and notebooks. She didn’t have any tapestries or photos to hang, as Aelin did, nor anything to decorate with at all, really. Maybe it was for the better, though. It certainly made unpacking easier.

After a few hours, all three girls had finished unpacking their belongings, and were standing in the common room. Feyre couldn’t help but to peek into Bryce and Danika’s room. While she couldn’t see everything, it was fairly evident that most of Bryce’s belongings were varying shades of gold, while Danika’s side of the room didn’t appear to have any color scheme whatsoever. Despite that, it was Danika who was now frowning at the living room and saying, «How are we going to make this feel more homey?»

«I could order a tapestry or two off of amazon or redbubble,» Aelin suggested, «and I have some pictures I could put in here, if you’re okay with that.»

Danika nodded and hummed in approval.

«Feyre, you’re an artist, right? Do you have any paintings or whatnot that we could hang in here?» Bryce looked at Feyre from where she leaned against the wall, her arms crossed over her loose, off-the shoulder gold t-shirt.

Rubbing her hands up and down the sides of her medium-wash jeans, Feyre replied, «Yes, I’m an artist, but I left most of my paintings at home, and new canvases aren’t exactly cheap to buy.» Her voice trailed off towards the end of her sentence, and she found herself looking at her shoes again.

«Alright then,» Danika said, looking at Aelin, «Pictures it is!»

Aelin darted back into the room she shared with Feyre, and emerged with a handful of pictures. Bryce came out of her room with only one picture, which displayed an image of Bryce as a toddler with her parents. Danika had a few pictures of herself with her grandfather, and some with a few rather attractive boys who Danika referred to as, «hometown friends!»

«Okay, Aelin,» Bryce laughed as she sorted through the photos laid out on the coffee table. «You have to explain some of these pictures to us.»

Aelin swiftly walked over to the table as Feyre ducked into their bedroom for the one picture she did remember to bring with her. She carefully grabbed the silver frame from off of her desk and placed it on the very edge of the coffee table in the living room before sitting on the loveseat next to Aelin. Bryce sat on the wooden armrest of the loveseat, peering over Aelin’s right shoulder at the pictures in question as Feyre did the same from Aelin’s other side. Danika stood behind them, bracing her hands on the back of the couch.

«So this one,» Aelin explained, «is from this one summer when I was like maybe five years old, and my parents had decided to hold this huge party where we invited all of their friends, coworkers, and of course, extended family. That’s my cousin Aedion.» She pointed to a blonde boy on the left of the picture, and then to a woman behind him. «That’s his mom. Next to her is my uncle Galan, and then my mom, and my dad. That’s my Uncle Orlon, all the way on the right, and then that’s me in the front.» Aelin smiled at the picture, holding it out in front of her.

«Why do you look so angry?» Danika’s grin was evident in her voice.

«One of my parent’s coworkers had brought their son, who was around my age, and when we were playing together, he spilled tea on my dress.»

Danika snorted and Feyre couldn’t help but smile. Another picture from the pile caught her eye, and she pulled it out. In the middle of the picture stood a red-haired man with a full beard, wrapping his arms around two teenagers. On his right was a blonde girl with a shit-eating grin on her face, holding up a medal with her right hand. On the other side of him was a boy with dirty blonde hair and a soft smile, a medal dangling around his neck as well.

«Oh, that’s from high school nationals my senior year!» Aelin took the picture from Feyre’s hands, quickly placing it back down on the table before focusing on the pile in front of her again.

«Is the boy in that picture the same boy in this picture of you at prom?» Bryce handed another picture towards Aelin, ripping the girl’s attention away from the table.

«Yeah.» Aelin’s voice was softer now as she added, «I forgot that that picture was in here.»

Feyre looked over at the picture in question. Aelin was wearing a stunning sleeveless green dress that sinched at her waist before loosening out into a flowing skirt. The same boy from the previous picture stood next to her, his hand wrapped around her waist as he looked at her with a huge smile on his face. Aelin was also looking only at him in the picture, her smile almost as wide as his.

«Do all the male triathletes look like that, because if so, I think I need to sign up.» Both of Danika’s eyebrows were raised.

Aelin let out a small chuckle. «Sam was something else,» she said, gently placing the picture back down on the table. Before she could say anything else, there was a sharp knock on the door. «I’ll get it!» Aelin practically jumped over the couch as she made her way to the door. Feyre looked down at the two pictures of Sam that had been set to the side, wondering where he might be now, before shifting around to face the door as Aelin greeted the visitor. She wrapped whoever it was in a hug before either of them could say a word. As she released the visitor, she pulled the door to the side and gestured for him to enter. «Come on in!»

A tall blonde boy stepped into the dorm, his facial features almost identical to Aelin’s. _He even has the same eyes,_ Feyre noticed. He stood with one hand in the pocket of his jeans, and the other holding a Whole Foods bag that looked to be fairly heavy, judging by how pale his fingers were in comparison to the skin on his other hand. The sleeves of his red and black flannel were rolled halfway up his forearm, revealing some scratches and scars on both arms.

Aelin closed the door and made her way over to the visitor, gently shoving him with her shoulder before introducing him. «This is my cousin, Aedion! Aedion, these are my roommates; Feyre, Danika, and Bryce.» Aelin pointed at each of them in turn, and they smiled and said hello to Aedion, who smiled back.

«Hello, ladies,» he greeted, before turning to face his cousin. «I brought the contraband you requested, dear cousin.» He held the whole foods bag out in her direction, and she quickly grabbed it from him, her smile growing as she peered inside.

She wrapped him in a one arm embrace before heading towards the fridge. «Thank you, Aedion!» She placed the bag on the floor before opening up the fridge, turning to look at everybody else as she pulled on the handle. «I hope you don’t mind there being alcohol in the fridge.»

«As long as you share.» Danika’s wolfish grin returned, and was matched by both Aelin and Aedion.

«But of course,» Aelin replied, unloading what appeared to be hard ciders and wine into the fridge.

Aedion cleared his throat. «I hope you’ll save some to share with the cousin who bought you this alcohol.»

Aelin looked over her shoulder and rolled her eyes at him. «I suppose.» Her smile disappeared as she added, «My roommates are off limits to your advances, though.»

Now it was Aedion’s turn to roll his eyes. «Come on, Aelin. We both got the four ‘D’s instilled in us yesterday.»

«Oh, like that stopped you and Kyllian in Orynth.» Aelin glared at him as she shut the fridge.

«Says my cousin, as she shoves alcohol into her fridge.»

«Alcohol that you also expressed interest in consuming, need I remind you.»

«So are you and Aelin both on triathlon, then?» Danika asked, grinning as she flopped down on one of the chairs. She draped her legs over the armrest, letting her calves hang off the side, while crossing her arms over her stomach, just above the top of her black skinny jeans.

«Unfortunately,» Aelin sighed in response, placing both of her hands on the cousin’s shoulder as she looked at her roommates.

«Talk about double trouble,» Bryce murmured. Feyre couldn’t help but nod along.

Aedion simply laughed, shrugging his cousin’s hands off his shoulders. «I would love to stay and chat, ladies, but I don’t want to make you late to your first floor meeting.»

«Shit!» Aelin checked her watch. «We have to leave now, don’t we.»

Feyre stood up from where she was sitting as Danika propelled herself off the chair and on to her feet. Bryce followed suit, stretching her arms as she did. Aelin was the first to make it to the door, holding it open for the other four and closing it behind them once they were all out. Bryce shoved her phone into the side pocket of her leggings, and said, «We should be meeting in that common room by the elevator.»

Aedion darted out ahead of them, practically jogging to the staircase. «I believe this is where I take my leave, ladies.» He nodded in their direction. «Nice meeting you all.»

With a snort, Aelin replied, «See you, loser!»

The first thing Feyre noticed about the common room was that it was a lot more crowded than she had anticipated. The amount of people probably made sense if most of the rooms on the floor were the same size as her own, she realized, but it was definitely the first time she had seen this many people in one room. She followed her roommates as they weaved through the crowd, in search of a spot to sit in.

«Hey, bitch!» A loud voice resounded behind Feyre the moment the four girls had taken their seats, and she twisted around, wondering who would be greeting her like that.

Aelin’s laugh answered. «Hey, traitor!» Feyre’s roommate stood up from the chair to Feyre’s left and threw an arm around a redheaded girl with more freckles than stars in the sky before sitting back down again and patting the empty chair to her left. «This is Ansel,» she explained, looking to her right at her roommates, «We used to train together when we were younger, until she decided to ditch us.»

The redhead shrugged, tossing a stray curl behind her shoulder. «What can I say? I had to move on to bigger and better things.»

«And yet, we both ended up in the same place.» Aelin flashed another smile as Ansel rolled her eyes. «I didn’t know you lived on this floor, too! Who are you rooming with?»

«I’m with Mor, Fury, and Juniper.»

«Wait,» Aelin held up a hand, «One of your roommates is named ‘More Fury’?»

Ansel rolled her eyes, looking at Feyre, Bryce, and Danika as she did so. «No, you dumbass!» Her gaze returned to Aelin, «I have three roommates, and one of them is named Mor, and another is named Fury.»

«That’s a sick name.» Danika crossed her arms and looking towards the front of the room.

Ansel nodded in agreement. «So, Aelin, rumor has it that one of the frats is hosting a back to school party tonight.»

Aelin crossed her arms, a smirk growing on her face as she turned to face the front. «You know where to send the details.»

A smile grew on Ansel’s face in response, at the same time Bryce stated, «I’ve actually never been to a party before.»

«You’ve never been to a party before?» Danika’s voice was so loud that Feyre would not have been surprised if the entire room had heard her exclamation. «Oh, we have got to change that!»

«Sounds like a plan then.» Ansel had the last word as a man clapped his hands in the very front of the common room. He was quite possibly the tallest man Feyre had ever seen, and the short sleeved white t-shirt he wore did nothing to hide the fact that he was all muscle. As piercing pine green eyes surveyed the first year students in front of him, a hush fell over the room. It was as if his very being commanded attention and order, and Feyre was more than inclined to obey.

«You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,» Aelin whispered, the smile that Feyre had come to expect from her wiped from her face.

At the same time, the boy at the front of the room cleared his throat and began to speak. «Hello, my name is Rowan Whitethorn, and I’ll be your RA for this year.»


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no warnings again :)

Chapter 2

Of course Rowan Whitethorn was her fucking RA. Her university experience had obviously just been too good up until that point, and the gods must have decided that something must be created to challenge all of the positive experiences she had been having. Aelin glared at her teammate as he went over basic dorm rules, including no alcohol, no drugs, and enforced quiet hours at 10pm on school nights. She had no doubt that Rowan would actually enforce them, either. There was no way that he was going to be the cool, chill RA that she had imagined having in the weeks leading up to her arrival at Maas University.

She thought back to her first meeting with Rowan two days prior. She had been informed via email that all first year members of the triathlon team must meet with the upperclassmen on the team, as well as with the team’s coach, a well known former triathlete named Maeve. Each first year member had been assigned a specific time slot for their meeting. Aelin’s had been at 11:15am. This had been one of the very few times that she had deigned to arrive early to anything, which is how she bumped into her old acquaintance Ansel Briarcliff outside of the conference room.

«No way,» the redhead had whispered as Aelin approached at 10:30am, a full 45 minutes early for her appointment. Maybe she had gone a bit overboard with this whole being early thing, but she had decided that she would let it slide, just this once.

«Are we about to be teammates again?» Aelin had slid down the wall to take a seat next to her old friend, who immediately draped an arm over Aelin’s shoulders.

«It appears so!»

The two girls had caught up as Ansel waited for her 10:45am appointment. Just as Aelin was about to ask Ansel about her recent PRs, the doors to the conference room had swung open, and out had stepped Lysandra Ennar. Aelin’s smile had converted into a smirk almost immediately, a comment already forming on the tip of her tongue as she eyed her long-standing competitor. The dark haired girl had only smirked at Aelin as she flipped her long hair over her shoulder and walked away, though. Despite herself, Aelin couldn’t help but admire the grace with which Lysandra took every step, as if there were flashing lights on the ground that said, «step here,» as she walked.

«What’s her problem?» Ansel rubbed her hands on her legs as she stood up, straightening out her rose gold lululemon shorts once she was finally standing.

«It’s a long story,» Aelin amended, stretching her arms out in front of her.

Ansel held the door in one hand, looking back at Aelin over her shoulder. «It always is with you, huh?»

Aelin had simply shrugged in response, examining her nails, but her only thought as the doors in front of her shut once again had been, _you have no idea._

The next half hour had dragged, and Aelin’s mind wandered as she wondered what kinds of questions they could possibly be asking in there. She assumed they were probably covering the typical things, like best times, goals, rules, and expectations, but surely that all wouldn’t take half an hour. After what seemed like an eternity, however, the doors had reopened, and Ansel had stepped out, pulling at the hem of her loose, white t-shirt. Aelin had immediately jumped to her feet, grabbing the door from her friend and pulling it closed behind her. It was time for her to answer some questions, and hopefully for her to get some answers of her own.

At the very end of the room there was one long table with about seven people seated behind it. Aelin had immediately decided that there was no way that this was the entire team. In the middle of the table sat a woman in a black blazer with a white blouse underneath, a crooked smile gracing her face as she scribbled something down on the paper in front of her. Her black hair was pulled back into a simple French braid, which was tied off at the nape of her neck, letting the rest of her hair curl freely down her back. _Coach Maeve,_ Aelin had immediately noted, before shifting her gaze to the woman’s right. She immediately recognized Nehemia Ytger, having raced against her multiple times during the two years that their high school careers had overlapped. Aelin had always liked Nehemia, who gave off what she could only describe as a soothing energy, despite the fact that the two had hardly said more than two sentences to each other. Next to Nehemia sat a boy with pale skin and black hair. He smiled at Aelin as her gaze flicked over him, his face tugging at some memory deep in the recesses of her mind. She had offered a smile to him in return, even as her gaze wandered over to the boy next to him, who was all angles and tanned skin. He held eye contact with Aelin for all of one second before averting his gaze to what must have been a very captivating ceiling tile. _Fine then, be that way,_ was her only thought as she turned to the other far end of the table. There sat her cousin, Aedion, who winked in her direction before whispering something into the ear of the blonde boy beside him. Aedion’s friend was rather muscular Aelin noted, as he threw a lopsided grin in her direction.

That’s when Aelin had seen him for the first time. Rowan freaking Whitethorn, sitting on Coach Maeve’s left side, his eyes narrowing as he took her in. She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow as she gazed back at him, taking in his snow white hair, sun-tanned skin, and pine green eyes. He had held her gaze for a few seconds before looking over at whatever Coach Maeve had been writing down on her papers.

The Coach herself glanced up now and cleared her throat. «Welcome! Miss Galathynius, I presume?»

«Yes, coach!» Aelin had smiled directly back, only to find that Coach Maeve’s smile did not reach her eyes.

«Good, good,» was all the coach had replied, before continuing, «So, Miss Galathynius, can you tell us a little about your triathlon career up until this point?»

«Of course!» Aelin smiled again, uncrossing her arms and placing them at her sides. «I’ve been coached by Arobynn Hamel since I was seven years old. My PR in the sprint distance was one hour and three minutes flat, and my PR in the olympic distance was two hours, seventeen minutes, and twenty-two seconds.»

«And those were both achieved at the high school national championship race, correct?» Coach Maeve’s smile opened wider, revealing a perfect set of straight, blindingly white teeth.

Aelin had practically been glowing as she answered, energy buzzing through her body, down to her feet and back up to her shoulders. «Yes. I got the gold there twice, silver once, and bronze once.»

«A true national champion,» Coach Maeve had mused.

«And a humble one, at that,» Rowan had muttered, sliding a paper to his right.

«There’s nothing wrong with a girl being proud of her accomplishments,» Nehemia had reprimanded him before turning to face Aelin again. «Especially in such a male dominated sport. I always got the sense that you were a true competitor.»

Aelin had let loose a little laugh as she responded, «I hope I at least gave you a good chase when I got that silver.»

«Rest assured, you did.» There was a sparkle in Nehemia’s eye as she sat up in her chair, her gaze never dropping from Aelin’s.

«Those are both rather impressive times for a high schooler.» Coach Maeve’s voice silenced all other whispers and mumbling. «It’s a shame about Hamel, though. At least he can say that he did well on you before his career ended.»

Aelin’s smile had immediately faltered, her thoughts drifting back to the events of the previous spring. _No,_ her own voice cut through the chatter in her mind. _I can’t go back there. Not yet._ Her gaze had shifted to the floor as she quietly replied, «Sure is.»

«How did you handle the summer season without a coach?» Rowan’s question had cut through the air like a knife.

Aelin could feel her cousin’s eyes upon her as she looked up, but the only gaze she held was Rowan’s as she responded. «I actually took the summer season off from racing, for personal reasons. I still maintained a training schedule, though. Aedion can vouch for me.»

«She did indeed train with me all summer.» Aedion’s voice was practically music to Aelin’s ears. «We followed the training plan that you sent out, Rowan.»

Maeve had nodded as she interjected, «Impressive.» Rowan had simply narrowed his eyes at Aelin again.

The tan boy at the end of the table had spoken up at that point. «Are your personal issues resolved?» He had looked at Aelin as if she was a puzzle that he was trying to piece together. «That is to say, can you race this fall?»

Aelin had nodded, swallowing a lump that she had not realized had formed in her throat. «Yes,» had been her answer, «I’m ready to crush my old PR’s and add some more medals to my collection.» She flashed a grin at the table, although even she had realized how contrived it felt.

«That’s what we like to hear,» was all Coach Maeve had said. Rowan, again, had simply been glaring at her. «And I think that’s all we have to ask. You may go now. We’ll send the practice schedule for next week out in an email.» Aelin had nodded, immediately turning around and striding towards the door. Upon entering the hallway, she saw a girl with a sleek black ponytail slowly rising the her feet. Once the girl had grabbed the door from Aelin, she began her journey back towards her dorm room, whipping out her phone and sending Aedion a special grocery list. That meeting had left her desiring some fun liquid dinners for the next few nights.

A sharp jab in her ribs brought her back to the present. Ansel was waving her hand in the air like she was Hermione Granger in class during her first year at Hogwarts. «Yes, you may go first.» Rowan called from the stage. Aelin watched his expression wither as he realized who he had called on.

«Hello,» Ansel began, rubbing her hands to flatten out her black denim skirt as she stood. «My name is Ansel, I’m from Erilea, I’m currently undeclared, and a fun fact about me is that I learned how to ride a horse around the same time I learned how to ride a bike!»

«Thank you, Ansel.» Rowan’s eyes were closed, his hands splayed out in front of him with his palms facing towards the ceiling. «Whoever’s sitting next to you may go next.»

Aelin stood up, smirking right at Rowan as he opened his eyes and inhaled deeply. «Hi, my name is Aelin,» she began, holding eye contact with her RA, «I’m also from Erilea. More specifically, I’m from Orynth, if you know where that is. I’m an English lit major, and a fun fact about me is that I’m a two time national champion in triathlon.» She offered Rowan a wide smile as she retook her seat, cracking her knuckles as she watched him take yet another deep breath. Somewhere in the back of the room, somebody let out a low whistle.

Next to her, Feyre began to rise to her feet. «My name is Feyre, I’m from Prythian, I’m majoring in fine arts and art history, and I know how to shoot a bow and arrow.» Each word flew out of her roommates mouth, and yet her annunciation of each syllable was clean and clear, intentional. Aelin draped one arm around her roommate, and the other around Ansel, looking to her right as Bryce began to take her turn.

Introductions seemed to drag on forever. Most of them blended together, save for a select few that stuck out in Aelin’s mind. It appeared that Lysandra also happened to be living on their floor, along with another girl by the name of Elide Lochan, who Aelin vaguely remembered from her early childhood. Beyond that, Aelin had kept an ear out for Ansel’s roommates, but all she had taken away from that were that Mor and Fury were definitely, in fact, two very different people.

Once introductions had finally concluded, and Rowan had deigned to dismiss them, Aelin immediately turned to Ansel. «What room are you in? We can meet you there around ten o’clock and head over to the frat together.»

Ansel nodded. «Sounds like a plan. We’re in 315.»

«Perfect.» Aelin laced her arms through Feyre’s and Danika’s, and began to walk toward the door. «See you then!»

«What does one even wear to a college party?» Bryce’s voice drifted towards Aelin from where she stood on the other side on Danika.

«Easy,» Danika replied as they neared their door. She deftly unlinked arms with Aelin and pulled her key out of her pocket, pushing the door open and rushing in. «Something flirty and fun, but also a little edgy, and not too nice. This is a frat house, after all.»

Aelin wrinkled her nose, picturing all of the beer that was sure to be coating the floor of the party. «Yeah, don’t wear nice shoes. Non-athletic sneakers usually do the trick - Converse, vans, whatever your style is.» She opened the door to her bedroom, tossing her keys on her desk as she flicked the light switch. With one movement, she threw open the doors to her wardrobe as Feyre entered their bedroom as well, sighing and bypassing her own wardrobe altogether.

Aelin frowned at her roommate, noting the bare walls above her bed as she looked over her shoulder. «You haven’t decorated!»

Feyre waved her off, frowning in the direction of her wardrobe. «I also don’t know what I’m going to wear tonight.»

Aelin gave her a quick once-over, cracking her knuckles and turning to fully face her roommate. «Well, in my expert opinion,» she began, tossing her hair behind her shoulder as she freed it from her messy bun, «your jeans are fine. What are you wearing under your hoodie?» Her eyes darted down to Feyre’s feet, which were in a pair of black vans with tiny white stars splattered all over. «Did you paint your shoes yourself?»

Feyre also looked down at her feet now as she unzipped her hoodie. «Yeah.» She sighed. «All I have on under my hoodie is this red tank top.»

«The tank top is perfect,» Aelin replied, turning back to her own wardrobe. She eyed a red denim skirt with buttons up and down the entire front, and hastily grabbed it off the hanger. She chucked her jeans into her laundry bin, tucking her black rolling stones t-shirt into her skirt before buttoning it back up again. «I wouldn’t wear those shoes though, if I were you. Do you have anything else?» Aelin looked at her own feet now, sliding off her Birkenstocks in favor of a pair of old black vans.

«I have a pair of knock-off black converse.» Feyre was biting her lip as she tossed her hoodie onto her bed and made her way over to her own wardrobe. She held up the shoes for inspection. They were so worn out and scuffed that they were almost grey in some places.

«Those are perfect.»

Aelin moved to their bathroom, which was at the end of their room opposite the windows, and began applying makeup. Feyre, on the other hand, was scrolling on her phone.

«We can take pictures tonight,» Aelin called out to her from the bathroom. «That way you have an actual picture of you to post on your instagram!»

From their bedroom, she could hear Feyre shoving her phone in the small black purse that had been sitting on her desk, and zipping the bag. After checking her reflection in the mirror, Aelin smiled and flicked off the bathroom light, grabbing her own phone and keys from her desk and scrolling through some notifications. «Hey,» she called, walking into the main room, «Ansel said that they’re pregaming in her room, if you want to go!»

«Hell yeah!» Danika practically ran out of her room, and Aelin couldn’t help but smile. That girl’s energy was contagious. She was wearing a black crop top and the same black skinny jeans she had been wearing earlier, but this time with a grey flannel tied around her hips. Her roommate’s eyes raked over Aelin’s attire before turning to examine Feyre. «We look hot!»

Behind Danika, Bryce exhaled through her nose and smiled. As Aelin took her in, she nodded in agreement with Danika’s previous statement. Bryce wore a skin tight white bodysuit, tucked into a black mini skirt that hugged her hips and thighs. She wore thigh high black boots with a heel that almost made Aelin cringe. As if reading her mind, Bryce reassured her, «Don’t worry, these shoes are almost three years old.»

«For someone who’s never been to a party before, you sure know how to dress.»

Bryce laughed in reply, already making her way towards the door. «I’ve been dreaming of this day for a long time.»

«Welcome to your dream come true» Feyre responded with a small eye roll, quietly pulling the dorm door shut behind her.

Aelin rolled her eyes at the cheesy comment as well as she grabbed her roommate’s hand and all but dragged her down the hall, racing towards Ansel’s room. She could feel her hair fanning out behind her, and hoped that this might give her a more windswept look. Her fist rapped against the door of room 315 three times as Danika and Bryce caught up with her and Feyre, talking in low tones about some city that Aelin vaguely recalled being located in Valbara. The door swung open before she could interrupt their conversation with any questions of her own, though. Ansel greeted the group, wearing a low cut red bodysuit, a black miniskirt, and red high-top converse. «It’s about time!» She gestured towards the room, and Aelin took the cue and entered.

Their room had an almost identical layout to Aelin’s own dorm, which wasn’t surprising. What really caught her eye though were the various handles of flavored vodka sitting on the white plastic table in the middle of the room. A blonde girl emerged from the bedroom on the left side of the room, pursing her lips as she eyed the table as well. Aelin barely noted the dorm door shutting behind them as the blonde said, «I see no mixers on this table, so I’m assuming we’re doing shots?» Her brown eyes flicked over to Ansel, who was making her way to the kitchen herself. She came to stand next to a girl with brown hair that fell in soft curls around her face, accompanied by another girl with narrow eyes and sleek, dark hair.

Ansel simply sighed, placing her hands on her hips. «I suppose so.» She added, «Good thing I brought shot glasses.» In one quick move, she crossed the kitchen and stood before the cabinets, her hands extending towards the top shelf, which she had to stand on her toes to reach. Her efforts produced eight glasses, which she laid out on the counter one by one.

The brown haired girl began fidgeting with her fingers. «Maybe I shouldn’t. One of us should be sober, right?»

«Juniper, right?» Bryce made her way from the hallway into the kitchen, standing next to Ansel’s roommate, who nodded. «I’m about to take my first shot tonight, and I would be honored to take it side by side with you.» Juniper pursed her lips, eyeing the various handles on the table.

Danika rolled her eyes, taking a spot next to Bryce. «Come on, you dorks! Let’s all take the first shot of the night together.»

Slowly, the remaining girls made their way to the table, and Ansel distributed the shot glasses among them. Aelin decided upon the rose vodka, and filled up her shot glass. She held the handle out over the table, looking around at her companions to see if anybody else wanted it. To her left, Ansel’s blonde roommate grabbed the handle from her hands. «Now this,» she stated as she poured herself a shot, «is the kind of girl power I need in my life.»

Aelin tilted her head back in laughter. «You’re Morrigan, right?»

«Yep!» Her voice was high in pitch, but not shrill. «Most people call me Mor, though.»

«Aelin,» was all Aelin offered in response, taking in the red dress Mor was wearing.

«I remember,» Mor replied, a small smile gracing her lips.

«Okay, on the count of three!» Ansel’s voice grabbed Aelin’s attention, and she quickly picked up her shot glass. «One, two, three!» The liquid burned as Aelin swallowed it in one gulp, but she reminded herself that the feeling afterward would be well worth it. To her right, Feyre shook her head and made a noise of disgust, sticking her tongue out as she placed her shot glass down on the table.

«First time?» Mor asked at the same time Aelin asked, «What flavor?»

«Yes.» Feyre winced again. «Mango-pineapple.»

Danika shook her head from the adjacent side of the table, already pouring her second shot. «That was your first mistake.»

Bryce simply looked up at her roommate and stated, «You also took a shot of mango-pineapple vodka.»

«Yes, but I never claimed to have good taste.»

Aelin laughed, reaching for her phone, which was on the table. «Before we do more, can we take some pictures?»

Ansel rolled her eyes and grabbed the phone out of Aelin’s hand. «Of course, princess! Where do you want them?»

Several shots, and many pictures later, the eight girls were walking down the sidewalk, the humid summer air wrapping around Aelin like a warm hug. Or maybe the heat was just a side effect of the alcohol. Either way, she wasn’t complaining. It was rather obvious which house was hosting the party, based on the music blaring through the street and the red solo cups that were somehow already strewn along the fence line. Ansel marched the group right up to the front door and into the house, not stopping to look at a single person along the way. Then, they were off. Aelin lost track of her companions as she danced around to songs that she only half knew the lyrics to, jumping until her legs had no more energy left. At that point she dipped into the kitchen. Those red solo cups had to be coming from somewhere, she reasoned.

The kitchen was rather empty compared to the rest of the house. Only a few people milled about, such as the two men having a conversation while leaning against the counter. Aelin spotted a box of white claws on the floor, and immediately began digging around for her favorite flavor. They couldn’t possibly already be out of lime. After a minute or two of searching, her hand wrapped around her prize, and she stood up, stumbling backwards slightly into a pair of cold hands.

Hands. Aelin immediately jumped away and spun around, eyeing what she could only describe as the prettiest man she had ever seen. He was now running one hand through his dark hair, his violet eyes meeting hers as he looked up again. «Are you okay?» His voice was as smooth as honey.

«Yeah,» Aelin replied smoothly, cracking open her white claw, «You just scared me, is all.»

«No need to fear,» he said with a breathless laugh. «You’re Aedion’s cousin, aren’t you?»

Aelin rolled her eyes and took a long sip before answering. «Yes, Aedion is my cousin. I’m Aelin, and you are?» She raised one eyebrow at the guy she has just stumbled into.

«Rhysand,» was his reply.

«Are you in this frat?» She took another sip. «Because if so, may I suggest renovating this kitchen?» She gestured towards the appliances to her right. «I think this stove is older than my dad.»

He chuckled, his eyes gazing out over the crowd in the living room. «No, I’m just here to gather information about how this frat is holding their party.»

Aelin narrowed her eyes at him, taking a step away and then turning her gaze back towards the living room. «Oh, I’m sorry, am I interrupting some top-secret fraternity intelligence mission?» She spotted Bryce and Danika dancing on top of a coffee table with Juniper and Fury, red solo cups in hand.

«You could call it that,» Rhysand answered with a shrug, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards. Aelin was about to respond when she saw a head full of white hair standing out amongst the rest of the crowd. Her smile fell from her face, and she placed her white claw on the counter. «What’s wrong?» Rhysand’s voice rang out from her left, sounding almost muffled as she watched Rowan Whitethorn weave through the crowd.

«My RA is here,» she nearly whispered, her eyes searching the crowd frantically for her other roommates. Luckily for her, Bryce and Danika were in clear view, moving their bodies to the rhythm of the music on their elevated surface, but Feyre was nowhere to be seen. As soon as Aelin had finished the thought, her eyes locked onto her target. Feyre stood in the middle of the living room, talking to a boy in a green polo and khaki shorts with blonde hair that fell to his chin. Aelin placed a hand on Rhysand’s arm and began to formulate her plan. «Can you distract him while I grab my roommates and get the hell out of here?»

«Yeah, sure. You want me to distract Rowan Whitethorn, right?» His arm fell out from under Aelin’s hand. «On it.»

Aelin took a deep breath and weaved through the crowd towards Feyre, not stopping until she was holding her roommate’s elbow in her hands. «We have to go.» Aelin glanced back over her shoulder once, watching as Rowan narrowed his eyes at Rhysand, who was chattering away. Feyre started to pull away from Aelin’s grip, but Aelin only tightened her hold, looking at her roommate with wide eyes. «Now.»

«It was nice meeting you, Tamlin,» Feyre called over her shoulder as Aelin pulled her towards the coffee table where Danika and Bryce were still dancing. It was nothing short of a miracle that Rowan hadn’t seen them yet.

Aelin tugged on Danika’s hand, instantly getting her attention. «Rowan’s here. We’ve got to get the hell out of dodge.» Danika nodded, immediately grabbing Bryce and tersely explaining the situation to the two other girls on the table, who also hopped down and weaved their way into the crowd.

The door was Aelin’s only target now. She pulled her roommates in a line through the crowd, ignoring the sweaty bodies that bumped into her along the way. She didn’t let up until their feet hit the sidewalk, and even then her pace didn’t slow. She was relentless in dragging them, quickly buzzing them into their dorm building and calling the elevator, only stopping to catch her breath once they were all inside of it.

«Fuck the RAs!» Danika’s voice echoed in the elevator as she giggled, her laughing only ceasing for a hiccup. «We were having a good-ass time!»

All three girls nodded in agreement, but it was Feyre who spoke first as the elevator doors opened. «Have you ever been in love?» She stumbled slightly as she made her way down the hallway, and Bryce immediately swooped her side.

«No,» was Danika’s near instant answer.

«I mean,» Bryce began, pulling her key out of her boot and unlocking the door. «I dated this guy in high school, named Reid, but he was a douche, so I don’t think we were in love.»

«Fuck Reid,» Danika replied, flopping down onto the couch and stretching out her arms and legs.

«It’s okay, I stole a bottle of wine from his parent’s wine rack right before I broke up with him.» Bryce inclined her head towards the room she shared with Danika. «I still have it, right in my suitcase.»

«We will definitely be cracking that open at some point.» Aelin poured herselfa glass of water right from the kitchen sink as she spoke.

«What about you, Aelin?» Feyre’s eyes met hers from where Bryce had gently sat her down in one of the chairs. Her grey eyes felt like they were drilling into Aelin’s very soul as she asked. «Have you ever been in love?»

Aelin crossed the room and handed Feyre one glass of water before returning to the sink and pouring herself another one, using the sink handles as an excuse to drop Feyre’s gaze. «Yes.» She hated how soft her voice was.

«What was it like?»

Aelin bit her lip, averting her gaze towards the ceiling. «It was all encompassing, like a hug so tight that it could crush me at any moment.»

«Was it Sam?» Feyre’s voice had also gotten soft now, and her eyes were wider than before. Aelin didn’t answer, and instead only reached for her water, hating how her traitorous hand began to shake. «Where is he now?»

She placed the now empty glass on the counter. «Goodnight, girls.» She silently cursed her voice for cracking as she walked towards her bedroom, and pulled the door shut behind her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no warnings!

Chapter 3

Sunlight was already streaming through the window when Bryce awoke Sunday morning, the flimsy blinds provided by the university doing very little to keep the room dark. She pushed herself up so that she was sitting, her legs dangling over the side of her bed as she turned her head to look at the alarm clock. _Only eleven o’clock. Not bad_ , she mused. With one swift movement she was on her feet, walking on her toes toward the door. She pushed it open slowly, holding her breath, even as the hinges remained silent as they rotated. The door was only a quarter of the way open when Danika’s voice broke the silence.

«You know I’m awake, right?»

Still standing on her toes, Bryce spun to face her roommate, who was propped up on her elbows, looking at something on her phone. Bryce lowered her heels to the floor before replying, «Well, I do now.»

Danika snorted and turned to look at Bryce as she placed her phone down on her bed. «Watching you attempt to sneak out was pretty entertaining though,» she stated, sitting up and pushing her blankets off of her legs. The first thing Bryce noticed was how similar their sleep attire was. Their white, oversized t-shirts almost looked like they belonged in a matching set, if it wasn’t for the different logos on them. Danika’s shirt had the logo of a baseball team that Bryce recognized from Valbara, whereas Bryce’s own t-shirt simply read, «#1 Dad!!!»

Bryce let go of the door handle. Bending over at the waist, she stuck her right arm out to the side, pinching her thumb and pointer finger together. She remained in the bow for all of one second before standing up straight again. «Always happy to satisfy my fans.»

«Okay,» Danika replied, eyeing Bryce’s t-shirt before she added, «Dad.»

Bryce simply rolled her eyes, walking over to her wardrobe to pull out some nicer clothes. It was probably for the best that her sleep shirts stay in her bedroom. Biting the corner of her lip, she began the task of looking at each individual item, pushing them from one side of the wardrobe to the other as she waited for one to stand out to her. The light patter of footsteps broke the silence from behind her as Danika made her way to their bathroom, leaving the door wide open as she stood in front of the sink, analyzing her reflection briefly before splashing some water on her face. «That shirt has to have a good story behind it, at least,» she called out, her voice muffled as she rubbed her face with a towel.

«Sadly, it doesn’t.» Bryce pulled a denim skirt and a plain black t-shirt out of her closet and tossed them onto her bed, and then set to work quickly pulling her sleep-shirt over her head. «I’m pretty sure my dad just misplaced it again when he was doing the laundry. Not that I’m complaining, though,» she added, fastening her bra. «It’s quite comfortable.»

The sound of the bathroom fan cut out as Danika flipped the light switch and walked back into the bedroom, stopping to stand by the her bed. She leaned her back against it, and Bryce could’ve sworn that she caught Danika’s eyes flick over her body from head to toe before she asked, «Do you have plans for today?»

«Not really.» Bryce shrugged. «I was thinking about maybe getting some reading done for the classes I have tomorrow, and then going for a run when it cools off in the evening.»

«Well,» Danika began, pulling on a pair of black jean shorts, «I think I’m going to meet some friends of mine from home in the dining hall, if you want to join us.»

«Sounds like fun.» Bryce’s reply was instant, even as she eyed the door that led out to their own kitchen. «Let me just quick brush my teeth.»

Danika pushed her dresser drawer shut with a bang, the white shirt she had grabbed still in her hands as she raised an eyebrow at Bryce. «You’re going to brush your teeth before breakfast?»

«I don’t want to meet your friends with breath that smells like shit,» she called over her shoulder as she walked towards the bathroom.

«But the whole point of brushing your teeth is to clean them after eating!»

Bryce looked back at her roommate, whose hair was sticking up at all angles after having changed shirts. Her arms were at her side, her palms facing upwards as she made eye contact with Bryce, her brown eyes narrowing further the longer that Bryce looked at them. Without even blinking, Bryce popped open her tube of toothpaste with her thumb, slowly squeezing some out onto the toothbrush that she held in her left hand. She pressed the lid of the toothpaste shut against her leg as the brought her toothbrush to her teeth and began to move it back and forth. It was only then that Danika broke eye contact. Bryce watched as her roommate rolled her eyes and smirked, crossing her arms under her chest. If it wasn’t for the fact that she was still brushing her teeth, Bryce would’ve smiled back.

«I still don’t get it,» Danika argued as the pair made their way out the door minutes later.

Bryce laughed and turned to face her roommate, who was already looking back at her as she held the elevator. «It’s not like I can’t brush my teeth again later, after I’ve eaten!»

«But why go through the hassle of doing it twice?»

Bryce opened her mouth to reply, but Danika was off as soon as the doors opened, racing across the grassy quad that their dorm looked over towards a group of six people. Her roommate flung her arms around the two boys in the center as Bryce jogged to catch up, all retorts regarding the toothbrushing conversation forgotten as she took in the group in front of her. The first thing that struck Bryce was how tall all of them were. The second thing that she noticed was how muscular everyone in the group was, especially the boy to Danika’s right.

Danika let go of her friends, turning around and gesturing at Bryce as she said, «This is my roommate, Bryce.»

Bryce smiled and waved in greeting, exhaling a little heavier than normal through her mouth as she did so. Almost immediately, the boy to Danika’s right smiled, crossing his arms as he stopped walking. «Has she stolen any of your food yet?» He inclined his head towards Danika, who whacked him on his arm with the back of her hand as he continued, «Because she will.»

«Not yet,» Bryce answered, her smile growing a little wider. «She might be disappointed if she tries to in the future, though. I’m not much of a cook.»

«Don’t worry.» It was a girl two to the left from Danika who spoke now, her black ponytail swinging behind her as the group began walking again. «She’ll at least announce that she’s going to take your food before she does.»

Bryce laughed. «Thanks for the heads up!»

«No problem.» The girl smiled back. «My names Nathalie, by the way.»

«Oh, right!» Danika hopped out of step with the group, taking up a position in front of them as she turned around to face them. Walking backwards, she continued, «Bryce, these are my friends! The guy all the way to your left is Bronson, and next to him is Nathalie, and then next to you is Thorne. Connor is on your right, and then on his right are Zach and Zelda!»

Bryce nodded as each name was mentioned, smiling at each person in turn. «Nice to meet you all!»

«Right back at you!» She looked up to her right, using her hand to shield her eyes from the sun’s rays as Connor smiled back down at her. His golden eyes almost looked like they were sparkling in the light.

Danika cut Connor a glare so quickly before taking up a spot besides Bryce once more, that Bryce wasn’t entirely sure if she had simply imagined it or not. Connor quickly shifting his gaze towards the building they were walking to was answer enough, she supposed. _He does have a nice profile,_ Bryce caught herself thinking as the group walked through the automatic doors of the dining hall, the cool air of the AC causing the hairs on the back of Bryce’s neck to stand up. She quickly handed over her student card to a lady in a school polo who was seated behind a marble desk. As soon as her card was back in her hand, Bryce drifted after her companions, taking in her surroundings as they made their way towards the food. Tons of students milled around, mostly in groups, although some had managed to snag a table to themselves. The people who were sitting alone were mostly glaring at their laptops or their phones, pausing every now and again to quickly type something. The bright ceiling lights seemed to center on the buffet tables in the middle of the dining hall, where different foods were laid out, some of them steaming as more food was being added straight from the kitchens. On one of the side walls were what looked to be a juice and soda dispenser, side by side with a coffee machine. On the opposite wall were dispensers containing different kinds of cereals, along with an opaque dispenser labeled, «MILK» in big letters.

Bryce grabbed a plate and began to scoop some fruit into a bowl, which she then placed on her plate. As she made her way towards the eggs and sausage, she caught sight of Danika putting a large blueberry muffin onto her plate using a pair of tongs. Bryce made her way towards her roommate as the blonde stared out over the seemingly endless mess of tables that lay in front of them.

«See any empty ones?» Connor’s voice rang out from directly behind Bryce, causing her to jump and almost drop her food.

Danika only frowned, continuing to scan the room. She pursed her lips until her eyes narrowed and she pointed slightly right of her center. «There!» Target acquired.

Bryce had never seen people move so fast through a crowded room. At points it felt like she was watching Danika and her friends in slow motion as they made their charge towards the empty table, weaving between and spinning around other students as they did so. Smiling to herself, Bryce followed suit, hoping that her years of dance and training with her father would make this as easy as Danika and her friends made it look.

Once they were all seated, Bryce asked, «So, how do you all know each other? Like, were you in a club together, or on a sports team?» Her voice trailed off as seven pairs of eyes looked up from the food they had already begun to devour.

Connor was the first to answer. «Nah.» His voice was light as he picked up a second mini sausage with his fork. «We just grew up on the same block.»

«Although, we did always make a pretty great wiffle ball team at the block party each summer.» Danika pointed across the round table at Connor as she spoke, inclining her head slightly to her left. Bryce remembered seeing pictures from something that could have easily been a block party a few months prior on instagram. Most of the pictures had included Danika laughing, and one or two had shown her throwing cotton candy at somebody off camera, if Bryce’s memory was correct.

«That was mostly thanks to Ithan,» the boy who sat to Danika’s left, Thorne, stated. «Let’s be real.»

«Ithan?» Bryce frowned, furrowing her brows.

«Connor’s little brother.» It was Nathalie who answered this time. «Ithan is still in high school, but he already has coaches trying to recruit him to go pro next year.»

«Yeah,» Connor uttered with a heavy sigh. Bryce watched as he stared at the table. «I’m going to make sure he goes to college first, though.»

As the meal carried on, Bryce found herself growing ever more intrigued by Danika and her friends. They behaved almost as a unit, like seven different parts of the same body. When Danika raised an eyebrow at Connor, Nathalie was already leaning back in her seat, before Danika had even picked up the slice of deli meat that she tossed onto Connor’s plate. Bronson always had a smile and a story ready to tear down whatever boastful claim Danika or Connor made, and Thorne seemed to always know how to diffuse any possible conflict before it even started. To top it all off, Bryce was fairly certain that Zach and Zelda were communicating telepathically. Either that, or the pair was just extremely good at finishing each other’s sentences.

Bryce found herself absolutely buzzing with energy as they emerged from the dining hall an hour and a half later. Eventually most of the group had gone their separate ways, leaving Bryce alone with Danika and Connor. She looked at the boy beside her, who was gazing off into the distance as he walked, his hands tucked into his jean pockets. «Connor, what dorm do you live in?»

He looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. «Bryce, we live on the same floor of West.»

«Oh,» was all she could say as blood began to rush to her cheeks. «I must have really zoned out during those introductions. There are a lot of people living on our floor, apparently.»

«No hard feelings,» he replied with a grin, tapping his student ID against the scanner and pulling open the door once the lock had clicked. He gestured towards the entryway, smiling at her and Danika. «Although, I will never forget the look on that RA’s face when you said that you learned how to shoot a gun as a child.»

Bryce shrugged, her smile returning as Connor followed her and Danika inside, letting the door swing shut behind him. «He said to give a fun fact, and that’s about as interesting as I get.»

Connor’s smile was focused entirely on her as he pushed the call button for the elevator, leaning one arm against the wall by his head. Bryce could hear Danika shifting her weight from one foot to the other as Connor replied, «I sincerely doubt that, Bryce.»

The elevator dinged twice, and Bryce stepped inside of it first. Danika’s eyes met hers as the blonde stuck out her arm between Connor and the elevator, something swirling deep inside of her brown irises. «I’ll meet you upstairs in a few minutes. I have to talk to Connor about something.»

«Okay.» Bryce held her tone steady, even as she narrowed her eyes at her roommate. She didn’t break eye contact until the doors had closed and the elevator began its ascent to the third floor. Shaking her head as the elevator doors opened again, she stepped out into the carpeted hallway and swallowed a lump that she hadn’t even realized had formed in her throat. Part of her wished that she hadn’t hit the button for the third floor in the elevator, and had instead waited with her ear pressed against the metal doors, to catch even a snippet of what Danika and Connor were talking about. _Don’t be a creep,_ she chided. They were likely not even talking about anything that had to do with her anyway. She had only just met Connor! Yet, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was somehow related to the conversation that was now taking place in the lobby of their dorm building.

The sound of Aelin’s voice was the first thing Bryce noticed as she unlocked the door to her dorm, letting it slam behind her as she stepped into the living space she shared with her other two roommates. Feyre was curled up on one of the chairs, her knees pulled up by her side and both of her hands wrapped around a white mug containing what smelled like a fruity tea. Aelin was standing by the stove, her eyes completely locked in on a pot of water sitting on top of one of the burners.

«You know,» Bryce began, setting her purse down on the plastic kitchen table before taking a seat in one of the chairs, «they say a watched pot never boils.»

«They may say that, but I want my fucking pasta as soon as possible.» Aelin’s eyes did not lose their focus on the pot as she spoke, a box of pasta already at the ready in her left hand.

«Forgive her,» Feyre spoke up in between sips of tea, «she’s been up since the crack of dawn.»

Bryce waved a hand through the air, grimacing at the thought of having to be up early after coming home so late last night. «Not a problem.»

«This wasn’t even one of our early morning practices.» Aelin finally turned away from the pot, placing the box of pasta on the counter and moving her hands to her hips. Her loose patterned shorts rose up ever so slightly under her touch. «We don’t start until nine o’clock on Saturday and Sunday. On weekdays, we have practice at seven in the morning and seven at night!»

«That means you’ll be back from practice and showered before I even have to get up for my first class of the day.» Even Feyre was grimacing now, her eyes flitting back and forth from Aelin to their shared bedroom.

«Yeah, damn.» Bryce could do little more but nod in agreement. «My earliest class starts at eleven thirty.»

Aelin’s eyes went wide. «What? How? I start at nine thirty every day but Friday!» She groaned and rolled her eyes towards the ceiling. «Fuck English classes for only being held early in the morning.»

«Nesta used to complain about the same thing.» Feyre adjusted her position on the couch, and Bryce raised an eyebrow at her. «My oldest sister,» Feyre clarified, before turning her attention back to Aelin. «What English classes are you taking? I know Nesta normally works as a TA for the class on Arthurian myths and Shakespeare.»

«You’re joking,» Aelin replied, pausing only to pour her pasta into the now boiling water. «I have that class at nine thirty on Tuesdays and Thursdays.»

Feyre simply shot her a sympathetic smile. «It can’t be all bad. I’m sure Nesta’s a harsh grader, but I think that means they’ll curve the class averages nicely.»

«You know what?» Aelin spun around on her heels, grinning at Bryce and then Feyre in turn. Bryce found herself leaning forward, elbows on the kitchen table as she began to smile herself. «This could be fun! Should I send your well wishes along to your sister every morning? Or maybe pass along a message thats oddly detailed but just vague enough to be ominous.» Her eyes darted from side to side as she dropped her voice to a harsh whisper. «‘Nesta, you know that thing your sister does with her toes?’»

«If you even try that, I will smother you in your sleep.»

«Don’t give me any ideas.» Aelin took a wooden spoon out of a drawer and wagged it in Feyre’s direction before using it to stir her pasta. «That might be preferable to waking up at six in the morning.»

The lock of the door clicked open, and the sound of Danika’s footsteps echoed on the wood floors as she made her way into the kitchen. Bryce raised an eyebrow at her as she came to a stop right behind the table, but Danika simply shrugged and made for the chair next to Bryce. _So this is how it’s going to be then,_ was Bryce’s only thought. She resolved to try asking her roommate about her top secret conversation with Connor later, or to get her really drunk next weekend and ask again then.

«So, who are you murdering with a wooden spoon?» Danika kicked off her shoes and looked at Aelin as she asked the question.

«Nobody,» Feyre answered, «I just told her that I’d smother her with a pillow if she told my sister that I have a toe fetish -«

«Whoa, hey,» Aelin cut her off, turning off the stover burner, «I never said you had a toe fetish. Do you have something you want to share with us, Feyre?»

Bryce watched the color in Feyre’s cheeks rise as Aelin dumped the pasta water into the sink to her right. It was Danika who spoke, however. «Yeah, like, do you want to share why you were asking about love last night?»

Bryce thought back to the previous night, trying to fight off the fog in her mind that enshrouded so many of her memories. She could remember Aelin dragging them down the street back from the frat, but that was probably only so clear because she had thought the force of Aelin and Danika combined might rip her arm right out of its socket. Vague visions of the four girls lying on the chairs in their common room also popped up, along with Danika cursing out Bryce’s ex. _Well, that makes a bit more sense now, at least._ Bryce made a mental note to reflect on what she had ever even seen in or felt for Reid, because with the clarity of a sober mind, she was sure as hell positive that it wasn’t love.

Feyre’s cheeks were flaming red when she responded. «I started talking to one of the fraternity brothers last night, and the conversation just flowed a lot easier than I had expected it to. He seemed very nice, and genuinely interested in what kinds of art I did. He just seemed good, I guess.»

«He’s a frat boy,» Danika stated flatly, her eyes narrowing. «How good can he be?»

Bryce nodded, averting her eyes to the table. She knew that her half-brother was in a frat at Maas University, and if that said anything about the character of men in fraternities, she was inclined to agree with Danika. Briefly, she wondered if Ruhn might have been at that party last night. There had definitely been boys there who were wearing the letters of other fraternities, so even though the party wasn’t hosted by his frat, it didn’t seem entirely implausible that he could have been there. The thought of him seeing her dancing on that table, though, is what really set her heart racing. _You shouldn’t even care what he thinks,_ she reminded herself. Yet, she couldn’t seem to slow her heart, or thoughts, back down.

«You know who else is in a frat?» Aelin took the seat across the table from Bryce, stirring her pasta with a fork before answering her own question. «Rowan Whitethorn.»

Bryce exhaled deeply through her nose. «What’s your deal with him, anyway?»

«He’s just an arrogant asshole,» she declared, stabbing angrily at her pasta noodles. «But it came up in conversation while we were all biking today. I was kind of surprised at first, but it sounds like a lot of the boys on the team are in the same frat. They seem to agree that the sport just attracts that kind of guy.»

«What kind of guy?» Feyre’s brows were furrowed as she moved from the chair to the loveseat, kneeling on the cushions and hanging her arms over the back of the couch.

«Well, to quote my teammate, Nehemia, ‘wealthy, white men.’» Aelin picked up another forkful of pasta and added, «It makes sense.»

Bryce couldn’t help but agree. «So, is that why Rowan was at the party last night, then?»

«I don’t know,» Aelin replied with a sigh. «He claimed today that he was there to pick up something, but I don’t buy it. I mean, who goes to a frat party to pick up something?»

«Fair point,» Danika conceded, «Unless he just didn’t want to be seen, and was trying to hide in the crowd.»

Aelin just snorted. «That would work if it was anything other than a party. He stuck out like a sore thumb.» She shifted her gaze to Feyre now, her eyes narrowing. «Wait, is your crush the guy that I had to drag you away from last night? Gods, what did you call him?» She snapped her fingers a few times, staring up at the ceiling. Bryce grimaced, realizing she had no recollection of even seeing Feyre at the party. All she could remember was dancing on a table with Danika, Fury, and Juniper.

«Tamlin,» Feyre supplied, her blush creeping back, «Yes, I was talking to him, but I wouldn’t label him as a crush, or anything. We’ve only talked once.»

The name tickled something in the back of Bryce’s memory. She felt like the name had come up in a conversation once or twice, but try as she might, she couldn’t remember the full context of it.

«You literally asked us all about love after you met him! If that’s not a crush, then I don’t know what a crush is!» Danika threw her hands up in the air before leaning back into her chair.

Feyre only shrugged in response. «Maybe.» She leaned over to the coffee table to grab her now empty mug, and walked it over to the sink. «Either way, I’m going to go try and get some reading done before classes start tomorrow.» With that, she walked into the bedroom she shared with Aelin, and shut the door behind her.

Bryce stood up, grabbing her purse from the table, and pushing her chair in. The plastic legs made an ungodly screeching noise against the floor as she did so, and she winced at the sound. «I think I’m going to do the same thing.» 

She made her way over to her own room, closing the door behind her once she had placed her purse down on her desk. Sitting in her desk chair, she whipped out her phone instead of her laptop. She exhaled, and began scrolling through her messages, looking for the right thread. The further she went, the older the dates got, the numbers growing and stretching out to what seemed like infinity until she found the one she was searching for. Biting her lip, she angled her thumbs at the virtual keyboard and took one last steadying breath before composing the message to Ruhn Danaan. When she hit send, she couldn’t stop herself from staring at the message that was now labelled as delivered.

« _What do you know about a guy named Tamlin?»_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

True to her word, Aelin was already coming out of the bathroom, giving her hair one last rub with a dark purple towel before hanging it on the towel rack attached to the bathroom door as Feyre slowly opened her eyes for the first time that morning. Slowly rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Feyre swore she could see her roommate smirk and roll her own eyes back at her. However, Aelin’s tone was light and upbeat as she greeted, «Good morning, sleeping beauty!»

Feyre groaned as she sat up, stretching her arms up towards the ceiling. «What time is it?»

With a quick glance at the watch on her wrist, Aelin answered, «Nine o’clock, which means I’ve got to blast!» Feyre watched as her roommate dashed through the room, grabbing a teal kånken backpack off the floor by her desk and giving herself one last once over in the mirror before yelling, «See you!»

 _Damn,_ was all Feyre could think, blinking once before reaching towards the shelf attached to the head of her bed, where her phone sat plugged into a charger. She narrowed her eyes as the screen lit up, just a little too bright for the first few minutes of the morning, and scrolled through the notifications that layered her screen. Elain had sent her a text message wishing her good luck on her first day of classes, and asking her if she wanted to come over to their apartment for dinner that weekend. Feyre bit her lip and decided to reply to that particular message later. What had really caught her attention at the moment were the multitude of notifications from instagram. She opened the app, wondering what all the buzz was about.

The app automatically redirected her to a set of images posted on Aelin’s account. Aelin had definitely applied a filter, Feyre decided, noticing how tan even she looked in the images posted. Most of the pictures seemed like they were intended to look candid, featuring the four roommates in front of a white tapestry in the room that belonged to Ansel and Mor that read, «GRL PWR» in blue lettering. She had to admit that the photos were pretty cute, despite being a bit staged. Most of the comments seemed to be in agreement with her first assessment, especially Danika’s, which read, «we really are some hotass bitches» with a winking emoji at the end. Unplugging her phone from the charger, Feyre hit the back button and pulled her knees up to her chest, checking her other notifications. Her eyes narrowed for a second as she realized that most of them were follow requests, but as she began scrolling through them, some familiar names sticking out, she recognized why there was a sudden influx of interest in her account. _Aelin must have tagged us all in the picture._ She hastily accepted the follow requests of the names she recognized, and tapped ignore for the others, before hopping out of bed and getting herself ready for the day.

Within a few minutes she was dressed and ready to go, having packed her backpack the night before in anticipation of the long day ahead. Her first class of the day wasn’t until half past eleven, which she considered a small blessing, since her last class of the day went until half past ten at night. She pursed her lips as she thought about it. Her sisters, to their credit, had warned her about the possibility of having late classes, citing the experiences of other people they knew who had been art majors at Maas University, but Feyre had brushed them off, insisting that she knew what she was getting herself into. At this point, she had made her decision, and if the consequences of that were intro drawing classes that lasted for four hours and ended well after nightfall, then so be it. At the very least, she was studying something she enjoyed, which she hoped would make the classes more bearable.

After clipping some of her hair out of her face, Feyre grabbed her backpack and made her way into the kitchen. Bryce was already there, stirring something in a pan with a spatula. She was absolutely dressed to the nines, and Feyre had to wonder how she did it. Feyre had considered her own outfit fairly nice, having put on the best pair of skinny jeans she owned and a pale pink floral blouse that was undoubtedly a hand-me-down from Elain, but upon looking at her roommate, she started to rethink her previous assessments. Bryce wore a long-sleeved black bodysuit, tucked into a green skirt that zippered up in the front and hugged every curve of her hips and thighs. On her feet were the same thigh-high black boots that she had worn to the frat party earlier that weekend. Feyre smiled as she remembered how she had felt her eyes go as wide as saucers when she first saw those shoes. Her own feet had ached as Aelin dragged all the girls back to the dorm, and she had been wearing sneakers. She could hardly imagine what pain Bryce must have felt.

«Good morning!» Bryce’s flashed Feyre a quick smile over her shoulder before returning her attention to the pans on the stove. «Do you want any coffee?»

«I’m good, thank you,» Feyre replied, placing her bag down in one of the kitchen chairs.

«How about eggs or bacon? I could throw some more on!»

Feyre blinked. «Actually, eggs and bacon sounds great, thanks.»

«No problem,» Bryce replied, making her way to the fridge. She pulled out a carton of eggs and added, «It’s one of the few things that I can cook well.»

The sound of oil sizzling pierced Feyre’s eardrums as she took a seat at the table, opening up instagram yet again. In the maybe fifteen minutes it had taken her to get ready, she had already received more follow requests. Groaning, she clicked the power button of her phone and turned her attention instead to Bryce, who was now grabbing plates from one of the cabinets. «What class do you have first today?»

«A first year writing seminar on portrayals of mythology in art,» Bryce answered as she smoothly placed the plates on the counter, barely causing any noise as she did so. «What about you?»

Feyre furrowed her brows. «I think we might be in the same class. Is yours on the far end of campus at eleven thirty?»

Bryce nodded, scooping some eggs onto each of the plates. She smiled at Feyre before turning to the bacon. «Amazing!»

Feyre found herself smiling back, and her hands to her lap. Bryce placed the two plates on the table, sliding one towards Feyre before opening a drawer and digging around until she procured two forks and two knives. As she sat down, she eyed Feyre’s phone on the table, and grinning, asked, «Did you see the pictures Aelin posted from this weekend?»

Feyre nodded, chewing a mouthful of eggs before answering, «Yeah, they were nice!» She looked down quickly, watching her screen flash again. Turning her phone over, she added, «I keep getting follow requests now, though.»

Bryce laughed and wiggled her eyebrows. «Anyone notable? Or anyone cute?»

«Mostly just people that I’ve met through Aelin. Her cousin Aedion was one of them, her friend Ansel and her roommates.» She took another bite of food. «I’ve been ignoring the ones from people I don’t know.»

Bryce rolled her eyes, placing her silverware on her plate and reaching a hand out towards Feyre’s phone. «Come on! Live a little! What if you deny some super cute guy who is head over heels for you?» She grabbed the phone, looking at some of the notifications as they popped up.

It was Feyre’s turn to roll her eyes now. «Aelin has like twelve-thousand followers. I doubt half the people who are requesting me now even go here!» She reached over the table to grab her phone back from Bryce. «Besides, you said it yourself, I don’t post pictures of myself.»

«Well, ask Aelin to send you the pictures, and post those!»

Feyre simply stood up, grabbing her own empty dish and then Bryces, carrying them over towards the sink, where she turned on the faucet and began scrubbing. «I can’t have people knowing that I went to a party!»

«Why not?» Feyre could hear Bryce shift in her chair, and had a suspicion that she was crossing her arms.

«My sisters would probably kill me!»

«No chance,» Bryce argued. «They’ve been through college here! I guarantee you that they’ve both been to at least one party!»

Feyre snorted as the image of Nesta dancing on a table like Bryce and Danika had been flitted through her mind. «I’m skeptical.»

Bryce huffed a sigh, and Feyre turned off the faucet, placing the dishes on the drying rack to the right of the sink before making her way back to the table. Bryce’s amber eyes followed her as she crossed the room, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. «Okay, even if they’ve never partied themselves, it’s not like there’s alcohol in the pictures,» Bryce protested. "We could’ve easily just been enjoying a night in in a friend’s dorm!»

Feyre raised an eyebrow as she slung her backpack over her shoulder. «Dressed as nice as we were?»

Bryce shook her head as she spoke, making her way to the door and holding it open for Feyre. «Well, I’m not about to post a picture of myself in sweatpants and a hoodie.»

«Fine,» Feyre relented with a sigh as the door swung shut behind them. «I’ll text Aelin later and ask her for the pictures.»

«Good!» Bryce’s smile faded almost as quickly as it had appeared, and she cleared her throat. «Was one of the follow requests you got by chance from Tamlin?»

Feyre pursed her lips, trying to remember who she had clicked accept on that morning. «I honestly don’t remember.»

«Listen.» Bryce grabbed Feyre’s arm, her touch, though light, still startling Feyre enough to make her stop walking as they neared the elevator. She looked up at her roommate’s face. Bryce’s lips were pursed, but her eyes held a certain softness in them nonetheless. «I have a,» Bryce paused, her eyes darting to the left before focusing on Feyre again, «a uh, friend, who’s been a student here for two years now, and he informed me that Tamlin keeps some rather interesting company.» Feyre narrowed her eyes, and Bryce loosened her grip on Feyre’s arm, dropping her hands to her side as the elevator dinged to announce its arrival. As they stepped inside, Bryce added, «I know you like him, but I just thought I’d let you know to be careful.»

Feyre nodded, staring straight ahead as the elevator doors finally opened again. She only looked over at her roommate once to offer her a small smile and say, «Will do!»

Bryce smiled back, and the pair walked in silence for the rest of their journey across the campus. It was a rather nice day out, Feyre had to admit. The sun wasn’t quite blaring yet, but was still present enough to soak the campus in its light, saturating the world around her with color. A light breeze pushed some of her hair back into her face, but she welcomed it nonetheless, wondering how hot it was going to be when she got out of class and had to walk back across campus later.

Her train of thought shifted, and be began to run over what Bryce had told her, dissecting each sentence as it flashed through her mind like a news crawler. _Tamlin keeps some rather interesting company,_ she mused. When he had approached her at the party that night, he had been alone, his only company the red solo cup in his hand. She wondered briefly if Bryce’s friend had meant that Tamlin had an alcohol problem, but dismissed that theory as quickly as she had created it. He hadn’t struck Feyre as an alcoholic, and she was rather familiar with how that type acted. She continued ruminating on the issue even as their walk ended in a small classroom, and she took her seat behind a long white table. By the time the class began, she had to blink as she looked at her notebook in front of her, unable to remember when she had taken it out of her bag.

The class itself was almost exactly what Feyre had expected. The professor handed out a syllabus, which indicated that there would be three papers due over the course of the semester, as well as one presentation. The material covered in the course seemed interesting, at least, if the few pieces of artwork the professor showed on the powerpoint towards the end of class were any indication of what was to come. Feyre’s footsteps felt lighter as she left the classroom after an hour and fifteen minutes, Bryce at her side.

«Hey,» Bryce began once they were fully out of the classroom, «I’ve got to dash to my next class, but I’ll see you later!»

«Yeah, no problem!» Feyre inclined her head to a small sitting area to her left. «I was just going to go and start on the homework before I head out to my next class.»

Bryce blinked and shook her head. «Wow, okay, look at you go!» She then laughed and added, «See you later!» Before turning around and following the flood of students making their way out of the building.

Feyre made her way over to one of the chairs in the sitting area, its orange cushion so faded that she wasn’t sure whether the brown splotches coating it were stains or simply the product of wear and use. She decided not to ponder the issue for too long, and instead opened up her laptop and went straight to google docs, opening up a blank document. She paused only to shoot a quick text to Aelin about the pictures, then put her phone back in her bag and returned her attention to her homework. Feyre figured that the first assignment should be easy enough, considering it was just supposed to be a paragraph introducing yourself. Before she could even type her own name, however, the sound of the chair next to her being pulled out grabbed her attention, and she looked up over her shoulder to find a familiar set of green eyes staring back.

«Well, hello there!» Tamlin smiled as he sat down next to her, placing his own books on the table.

«Hey,» Feyre replied with a small smile. Memories of Bryce’s voice flashed through her mind, but they somehow seemed to grow fainter as more footsteps approached from behind her.

«I hope I’m not interrupting anything important.» Tamlin’s voice was quiet as he spoke, his eyes focused only on Feyre, who glanced quickly at the blank document sitting open on her laptop. «My friend and I were just leaving class, and I saw you here, and thought I’d say hello.» He gestured to a man with red hair and golden eyes who had come to a stop behind Bryce. «This is Lucien.»

Lucien held out his hand towards Feyre, who took it, but couldn’t stop her mind from comparing Lucien’s appearance to Bryce’s. The two were similar in complexion, and the color of their hair and eyes were near identical, although Bryce’s hair was a few shades darker. The similarities ended there, however. That didn’t stop Feyre from wondering if Lucien might be the supposed friend that Bryce had mentioned earlier. «Nice to meet you.»

«Pleasure,» Lucien replied, taking a seat across from Tamlin. «I assume that you’re Feyre?»

Feyre raised an eyebrow, turning her head slightly to the right as she took in the boy before her. He was leaning against the back his chair, his arms crossed as he stared right back at her. «That is my name,» she answered, «and I suspect that there’s not very many Feyre’s around here.»

Lucien shook his head. «Can’t say I’ve met one before.»

«Well, anyways,» Feyre began, turning back to the google doc, and begging to type. «I was just starting on some homework.»

«Homework?» She could feel Tamlin leaning over her shoulder as he spoke. «Do you have a summer assignment due?»

«No,» Feyre answered, gritting her teeth as she considered the many manners in which she could introduce herself to her professor. «It was just assigned in the class I left a few minutes ago.» Lucien whistled softly, and Feyre couldn’t help but roll her eyes. «Some of us like to avoid all nighters, if we can help it.»

A sharp intake of breath across the table forced Feyre to look up again, and she caught sight of Lucien wincing, turning his gaze to Tamlin. «That was a callout.»

Tamlin chuckled beside her. «You’ve known me for all of two days and already have me pegged, huh?»

«It was more of a general statement,» Feyre assured him, her fingers flying over the keyboard.

«So, what’s your next class?» Tamlin’s voice was light, but Feyre still felt her shoulders tense slightly when he spoke. Looking at him out of the corner of her eye, she could see that he still seemed to be focused on her laptop.

«I have intro to the arts in Prythian,» she answered, shutting her laptop and putting her book in her bag. The five sentences she had already typed up should be more than enough, she decided.

«Me too!» Feyre looked up to see Tamlin still smiling at her, seemingly unfazedby the item she had thought he was focusing on being removed from the situation.

She bit her lip. «I thought you said at the party that you had tried to get into that class, but that it was already full.» Across the table from her, Lucien shifted in his chair, fixing his eyes on Tamlin.

«It was,» Tamlin admitted, «but my buddy Andras decided to drop it this morning, so I was able to snag the spot he had.»

«If he was going to drop it so early, then why did he even sign up to take it in the first place?» Feyre inclined her head to the left as she spoke, furrowing her brows. Tamlin’s face was blank, the smile he had previously worn gone as he looked back at her.

It was Lucien who answered. «Andras withdrew for the semester, for personal reasons.» His smile fell as well, and he averted his eyes to the floor as he added, «It’s a shame, really. He was a great guy.»

«I’m sorry.» Feyre picked at one of her nails, incapable of bringing herself to meet either of the boy’s eyes anymore.

«It’s okay,» Tamlin responded, his voice quieter now. «He knew what he was doing, and it was for the best.»

«Still, though, it must suck to not have your friend here.» She frowned as she watched the blond check his phone quickly before he pocketed it and simply offered her a close lipped smile in return.

«Come on!» He pushed his chair back and stood up. Lucien sighed, but followed suit. «Let’s walk to class together. It’s a big lecture hall, so we’ll want to get there early to claim good seats.»

«Okay,» Feyre conceded, grabbing her own bag as the two boys made room for her in-between them. As they walked, Tamlin chatted more about the university, pointing out landmarks that he had a story associated with. By the time they made it to the lecture hall, which was pretty close to Feyre’s own dorm, she felt as if she had already sat through a long lecture, but had been incapable of taking notes.

Tamlin led her and Lucien to the fifth row from the back, motioning for the other two to enter the row before him. Lucien went first, sitting the the seat third from the aisle, and Feyre took the seat to his right. On her right, Tamlin claimed the aisle seat, pulling up the flat desk surface from where it was underneath his seat. Feyre surveyed the room around her. There were already a good deal of students there, even though they still had fifteen minutes until the lecture began. She noticed one of Ansel’s roommates, Mor, sitting two rows behind her, and waved. The blonde waved back, but her smile quickly fell as Lucien turned around, following Feyre’s gaze. Mor typed something furiously into her phone, and Feyre could’ve sworn that she heard the girl’s nails clicking against the keyboard from where she sat. She turned back to face the front, noting Lucien’s own frown, and the fact that the professor was beginning to set up a powerpoint at the very front of the classroom.

«What’s up?» Tamlin’s eyes were fixed on Lucien, who was now staring straight ahead, looking at the powerpoint and scribbling something on his paper.

«Nothing,» he replied, not shifting his focus off of the screen. «That girl just looks kind of familiar, that’s all.»

Tamlin swiveled in his seat, looking over his shoulder. «Who is she?» He turned back to the front, pulling a notebook out of his backpack.

Feyre shrugged. «She’s my roommate’s teammate’s roommate.» Tamlin grunted, and Feyre added, «I’d hardly say I know her well, but we did go to the party together on Saturday, so maybe that’s where you recognize her from.»

«Yeah, maybe,» Lucien offered, his voice soft.

At that moment, Feyre’s phone began to buzz incessantly, a rather welcome distraction, if she was being honest. Pulling it out of her bag, she watched as countless messages from Aelin poured in, causing her phone to vibrate so loudly and constantly that she probably could’ve used it as an alarm.

«Who’s that?» Tamlin’s arm brushed up against Feyre’s own as he peered over her shoulder.

«My roommate,» Feyre answered with a small smile.

«She seems enthusiastic.» Lucien finally tore his gaze away from the powerpoint.

«We took some pictures before the party this weekend, and she’s sending them to me now.» _One-by-one, apparently,_ she added as an afterthought, scrolling through the multitude of pictures that had just come her way. Feyre noticed that her own pose was consistent throughout most of the photos, and frowned. It wasn’t that it was a bad pose, it was just that it looked rather dull in comparison to the dynamic shifts in her roommates’ poses. The changes in her roommates’ positions from photo to photo seemed to tell a story of the conversations they had been having, while Feyre’s smile at the camera revealed nothing about the context the photo’s were taken in.

She was about to put her phone away when Tamlin’s finger jumped into her line of sight. «You should post that one,» he stated. Feyre took a second look at the picture he had pointed at. It was one of the few shots where Feyre’s pose had changed, although it was still not a drastic shift. She was leaning forward, a huge smile plastered on her face as she laughed at something off camera alongside her roommates, who were standing on her right. Feyre was the only person in the picture who’s face was still facing mostly forward. It was also inarguably the most genuinely candid of all the pictures Aelin had sent her, and Feyre bit her lip.

Ultimately, she opened the instagram app, and before she could think about it for too long, she posted the image, simply captioning it, «Getting to know my roommates!» Clicking her phone off, she placed it in her lap and turned to look at Tamlin as the professor began to talk. «Thank you,» she whispered.

«Anytime,» he whispered in reply, smiling. «What’s your username? I don’t think I follow you.»

Quickly eyeing the professor at the front of the room, Feyre scribbled her username down in the margins of Tamlin’s notebook, smiling despite herself as he took out his own phone and typed something in with barely even a glance at the screen. She felt her phone buzz in her pocket, but elected to ignore it in favor of actually paying attention to the professor, who seemed intent on teaching course material despite it only being the first day of class.

When the class ended, she said goodbye to both Tamlin and Lucien, who walked off in the same direction. The next four hours of her evening were spent in the basement of the art building, having the guidelines and expectations of her intro drawing class explained to her by a professor who looked to be as old as time itself. By the time that class was over with, the sun had already set, and Feyre practically sprinted from the art building to her own dorm. She panted as she tapped into the building itself, grateful that it wasn’t too far from her last class. When she entered her room moments later, she was greeted by the buttery scent of popcorn and the sounds of her roommates voices flying across the room as the tv blared in the background.

«Hey, stranger!» Aelin turned her head to look at Feyre as she entered the room, dropping her schoolbag on one of the kitchen chairs. The other three girls sat on the various couches, Bryce and Danika practically transfixed by what was happening on the television. Aelin’s feet rested on the coffee table in front of her, bags of ice nestled up and down her legs.

Feyre exhaled quickly. «I would ask you how your first day went, but it looks like the answer is, ‘not well’.»

Aelin simply shook her head and waved a hand through the air. «I might have to ice my entire body for the next few days, but I’ll be fine. The first few practices of the season can always do that to you.» She patted the empty cushion on the couch next to her, and Feyre made her way over to the other side of the loveseat. «Classes were good, though,» Aelin continued, «My creative writing assignment is a little weird, I guess. The professor gave us our assignment for the final already, and she wants us to describe ourselves, but without using physical descriptors.» She crinkled her nose and sighed, blowing a few stray hairs out of her face as she exhaled.

«So, kind of like an abstract self portrait, but with words?» Feyre kicked off her shoes and drew her legs up to her chest, resting her head on her knees.

«Yeah, I guess.» Aelin shrugged, adjusting some of the bags of ice. «What about you?»

«Classes were a little long, but overall not bad.» She grinned at her roommate. «Tamlin and I have a class together.» Feyre thought she saw Bryce’s ears twitch out of the corner of her eye, but the other girl made no move to turn away from the TV.

Aelin, on the other hand, grinned right back. «Is he one of the multitudes of people begging to follow your insta now?»

Looking at her roommate’s borderline devious grin, Feyre was about to roll her eyes before the realization dawned on her. «Actually, yes.» She made her way over to the kitchen table and pulled her phone out of the side pocket of her bag. «He requested me while we were in class today, but I completely forgot to accept,» she explained as she scrolled through her phone. Once she hit the button to accept his request, she put her phone back in her bag, and then hoisted the bag over her shoulders. «Anyways, I think I’m going to call it a night. I’m exhausted.»

«Right behind you!» Aelin picked the remaining bags of ice up off of her legs and, with a groan, pushed herself into a standing position. She dropped the bags of ice in the sink and then made her way towards their bedroom, shutting the door once both her and Feyre were inside. «I’m just going to go brush my teeth,» she said through a yawn.

«Yeah, sure,» Feyre responded as she felt her phone buzz again. A notification for an instagram direct message appeared, and she swiped to see it.

Tamlin’s username popped up on her screen. _«Hey,»_ he had written. Then, _«Are you free Friday night? It’s free-entry night to the botanical gardens in town.»_

Feyre glanced quickly at the bathroom door before typing her response. _«Sounds like a plan!»_ With that, she shut her phone off for the night and began to change into her pajamas, thoughts of the various conversations swirling and mingling through her head, their flow not ceasing even after she had brushed her teeth and Aelin had turned off the lights. Lying on her back, she stared at the blank ceiling above her, until exhaustion eventually overpowered her mind, and lulled her to sleep, slowing her thoughts until they stopped, leaving her mind empty and dim, primed for rest.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The second day of practice was almost identical to the first. The team began in the morning with a run, which had left Aelin feeling pleasurably sore afterwards on both days. She had found that the sunrise that painted the sky pale shades of pink and orange was a good tool to distract her mind from the fact that her body felt like it was on fire as she kept pace with the fastest runners on the team. There was absolutely no way that she would ever let on that she was ever tired. She kept her mouth shut and eyes focused ahead as they neared the last half mile stretch of their seven mile run. If any of her teammates were tired, they sure weren’t letting on either. Rowan had held his mouth in a tight line the entire run, Aelin had noted every time she had cast a sidelong glance at her teammate, which had been far more often than she cared to admit. After two days of running together, it became clear who the strongest runners were. Ansel had led the fastest group both days, practically whooping with glee, even as she panted for breath when the runs were finished. In that same group both days had been Aelin herself, a brown haired sophomore by the name of Chaol, another freshman named Nesryn, a junior named Lorcan, and of course Rowan.

The evening practice on day two was another swim, same as day one. Here, again, Aelin found herself keeping up with the fastest group, but not actually being the fastest herself. The pool was truly where Lysandra excelled the most, her movements in the water almost ethereal, as if she had been a marine animal in another life. It was for this reason that Aelin now found herself frowning on the pool deck, wrapped in her towel. It had come to her attention that her only hope for truly being the best at any leg at this point was the bike, but she wasn’t getting her hopes up for what the next morning’s ride would bring.

The sound of Coach Maeve clearing her throat pulled Aelin out of her thoughts. «We won’t be doing dry land tonight.» The air in the room stilled at the announcement, and most of her teammates either looked up from what they had previously been doing, or silenced the conversations they had been having. «I want to talk to you all about this semester’s race schedule.»

The team slowly formed a semi circle around Maeve, who stood in front of the white board by the shallow end of the pool, black expo marker already in hand. Whispers floated between her teammates, buzzing around like flies on a hot summers day. Maeve either didn’t notice or chose to ignore them, and began to write the names of a few races on the board, along with their dates and locations. Some of the races were familiar to Aelin. She had raced some of them at the high school level, although she suspected the race courses might be a little different. The majority, however, were to take place in other states, where Aelin had never competed before. She felt her frown deepen as Maeve turned around to face them again.

«For the majority of these races, we should be able to bring the entire team, barring anyone who cannot compete due to a documented excuse. Your placement in these races will effect my decision as to who I am taking to collegiate nationals at the end of this season, but ultimately, the ten people that I bring to nationals is up to my discretion. Making the podium at any of these races will certainly help your case, though.»

Aelin’s eyes narrowed as she took in the dates of the races, the earliest of which was a mere two weeks away. They were all spaced out fairly evenly, save for the quick turnaround between conference championships and nationals. She had forgotten that collegiate nationals took place in the fall rather than the spring, which was when high school nationals were. The short span of time between those two races could make training for them a bit difficult, but certainly not impossible. That was also if she made the cut for the group going to nationals. She scowled. Making the cut had never been an issue when she was in high school, but she had a sinking feeling that that would not be the case here.

As if reading her mine, the blue eyed boy beside her - Dorian, if she remembered correctly - leaned over towards her, his lips practically grazing her ear as he whispered, «She plays favorites.»

Aelin bit her lip, crossing her arms and shifting her weight from her left leg to her right. Around her, most of her teammates stood in continued silence, their attention glued to Maeve as she explained travel to and from race sites. «Who?» Aelin’s whisper was harsh and sharp, flying through the small space between her and Dorian like a well-aimed dagger.

Someone just behind them snorted, and Aelin turned to see Chaol standing in a position that mirrored the one she has been standing in moments before. «Wouldn’t you like to know?» As he spoke, his eyes never once shifted their focus from the white board.

«Yeah, that’s why I’m asking,» Aelin retorted, rolling her eyes.

Dorian looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. «How about this - come to my dorm after practice, and I’ll answer your questions if you’ll answer some of mine.»

Eyes narrowed, Aelin assessed his offer. On the one hand, learning how Maeve operated and chose the group that made it to nationals could help give her an edge over the other freshmen on the team. However, she had no clue as to what questions he might have for her, or if she could even answer them. After a few more moments of tossing the pros and cons up and down in her mind, Aelin made her decision. «Deal.»

«Any further questions can be sent to me via email,» Maeve called from the front of the room, «See you all tomorrow morning.»

«Hooray,» Lysandra grumbled as she slid past Aelin towards the women’s locker room.

«Meet me outside the main entrance when you’re done changing,» Dorian called, winking as he looked over his shoulder and headed in the other direction. Aelin only nodded before turning and following the girls to their locker room.

«I didn’t think that you’d be the one from your class to fall for his charm,» Nehemia stated as she slid up to Aelin’s left, walking side by side with her as they entered the locker room.

Aelin turned her head to look at her teammate, who was still looking straight ahead. Her thick black hair was loose, tumbling down her back and bouncing against arms as she walked. Her face was calm, and yet demanded respect. Aelin supposed that Nehemia was the living embodiment of regal grace, if she was being completely honest. «I’d hardly call the conversation that we had charming,» Aelin argued, stopping as the pair reached her locker.

Nehemia raised an eyebrow. «And yet you still decided to go home with him.»

«Only as a friend,» Aelin insisted, even as she felt the color rising in her cheeks. «And even then, only because he has answers that I want.» She dug around in her locker for her clothes, throwing them on the bench glazed, wooden bench in front of her locker once she found them, and then beginning to change.

«There are other people who have the answers you seek, you know?» Nehemia simply leaned against the locker to the right of Aelin’s, making no move towards her own locker. Aelin just looked at her, keeping her face neutral. «It’s been a long time since there was another girl on this team that I felt like I could trust, and I don’t want to see your potential wasted.»

Aelin felt her face soften as she nodded. She had to admit that Nehemia was really the only older girl on the team that she genuinely felt like she could get along with. The only other two girls she had met from the grades above her had been far too snooty for Aelin’s liking, and she had done her best to keep her distance. If Nehemia felt the same about them, Aelin could only imagine how lonely her previous two years on the team must have been.

«I could accompany you tonight, if you’d like,» Nehemia offered, shrugging. She finally began to make her way over to her own locker at the end of the bench, pulling out what looked like a loose white tank top and a pair of denim shorts.

«Sure!» Aelin finished pulling on her dark purple athletic shorts before flashing Nehemia a grin. Nehemia offered a small smile in return. «I’d love an ally.»

The two quickly finished up getting changed, and then grabbed their backpacks and made their way out of the locker room and down a narrow hallway that ended in a steep staircase. By the time they had cleared the lobby and were out the door, Dorian was already standing there, laughing at something Chaol had said.

«Hey,» Aelin called as her and Nehemia approached, waving one hand at the boys. «I’m bringing a friend!»

«Oh, good,» Dorian replied, making his way over to her with a smile on his face. He jerked a thumb back at Chaol, who scowled as he walked towards the girls as well. «So am I. Though, he’s my roommate, so it’s not as if he had much choice in the matter.»

Aelin couldn’t help but laugh, especially when Nehemia added, «I’m glad you two are rooming together again. Chaol is most of your impulse control. I’d hate to see what would become of you without him.»

«He tries his best.» Dorian looked back over his shoulder at Chaol, who was walking next to Nehemia. Chaol just kept walking, his eyes forward, but not seeming to look at anything in particular.

It wasn’t a long walk to the boys’ dorm. Their dorm building was located on a hillside halfway between Aelin’s dorm and the building on the far edge of campus where all of the first year writing seminars were held. It was on the smaller side, as far as dorm buildings went, and Aelin wouldn’t have been surprised if less people lived in this building than lived on just her floor of West Hall, especially once she saw the size of the rooms inside the tiny brick building. A set of sliding glass doors opened up into a massive lobby with a high ceiling and white marble floors. At the far edge of the lobby was the elevator, which Aelin was certain could fit their entire team and then some.

Dorian and Chaol’s room itself may have been a bit smaller than Aelin’s, but considering only two people lived in it instead of four, it was quite sizable. The door opened straight into the living room, where a full sized u-shaped couch looked towards a flat screen tv that sat atop an entertainment center made of dark wood, leaning against the wall to the right of the entrance. To the left of the entertainment center was a mini fridge. At the far end of the room was a long window, taking up the entire wall opposite of the door the group had just entered through. The last of the sun’s rays filtered through a set of partially opened blinds, casting the room with a golden light. Behind the couch was a long wooden table with a wooden bench to match, as well as four tall-backed, cushioned grey chairs. A little hallway to the left of the table led to a narrow kitchen, complete with all of the amenities of Aelin’s own kitchen.

To the right of the dorm entrance laid another hallway, which upon inspection, Aelin found led to a bathroom. There were two more sets of doors on either side of the bathroom, which Aelin could only imagine led to the boy’s individual dorms. Oh, to have her own bedroom again! She had to cast the thought out of her mind as soon as it had entered, for fear if she lingered on it too long, she might begin to dislike her own rooming situation. Though she didn’t know Feyre all that well yet, Aelin definitely liked her. She might be a little curious at times, but that was only natural. They were still figuring each other out, and even then, they still knew far too little about each other.

What really caught Aelin’s attention, though, were the vast amount of books strewn across every surface in the room. Aelin dropped her backpack by the door and immediately made her way to a pile of books on one of the shelves of the entertainment center, slowly running her fingers across the spines. She recognized most of the titles, knowing full well that she had most of the same books in her own dorm on her windowsill.

«Sorry for the mess!» Dorian stood behind the table, where he had dropped his own backpack. He held up a brown bag in his hands, and with a smile, asked, «Popcorn?»

Aelin gave a slight nod, watching as Nehemia threw her backpack at her feet and took a seat on the couch, frowning at something on her phone before typing out a response. From behind her, Chaol exhaled deeply. Aelin whirled around to watch him emerge from the room to the right the bathroom, a glass Tupperware filled with what appeared to be rice and some sort of meat and vegetables in his hands.

Dorian rolled his eyes at his roommate. «I’ll worry about a ‘real dinner’ later. We have company!» With that, he darted into the kitchen, and the sound of the microwave opening and closing accompanies by the beeping of buttons echoed throughout the otherwise silent room. Aelin was taking a seat besides Nehemia when Dorian called out, «So, Aelin, you like to read?»

«Well, I would certainly hope so.» She crossed her legs, leaning back into the couch. For something in a college dorm, it was remarkably soft. «I’m an English Lit major.»

«Really?» She could hardly hear Dorian over the beeping of the microwave. «Me too!»

«Neat,» was all Aelin offered in reply as Dorian poured the popcorn into a bowl and made his way over to the couch, setting the bowl on a small, low wooden table in the center of the couch.

«Are you looking for a job? I work at Bridge Street books, and we’re currently hiring!»

«That must be a cool job.» Aelin bit her lip, imagining being surrounded by nothing but books all day. «This team and school is probably going to keep me rather busy, though.»

Dorian simply shrugged, tossing some popcorn into his mouth. «I’ve managed.»

«Barely.» Aelin looked over to her right to see Nehemia smirking as she talked. «Remember when your TA stormed into the pool during practice last year?»

Even Chaol smiled at that. «She said that you might as well have just poured ink all over the pages you handed into her, because that was how much sense your essay made.»

«Listen,» Dorian sputtered, «Nesta Archeron is one hell of a tough grader.»

Aelin raised an eyebrow and tossed a handful of popcorn into her mouth. «I see you’ve met my roommate’s sister as well, then.»

Dorian’s eyes grew wider as the color rushed from his face. «She has a sister?»

«Two, actually.» Aelin took another piece of popcorn from the bowl. «Nesta definitely seems to be the most domineering of them, though.» She didn’t admit that despite the jokes she had made towards her roommate, she had avoided the scowling TA in her morning class today. Aelin would get to spend plenty of time with her in her recitation of Friday, she was sure. Why spoil the fun so early?

«She seemed like an interesting person,» Nehemia mused, staring at the wall behind Dorian’s head. «I kind of wish she had come around more often.»

«If she treats other people like she treated my roommate, then I’m more than fine with her keeping her distance.» Though she was an only child, Aelin liked to imagine that she would be kind to her siblings if she had had any. She would have wanted to get along with them, to be their friend as well as their sibling, similar to how she would consider Aedion her friend as well as her cousin. Nesta had just seemed so harsh and cold towards her own sister, snapping almost every other word. The thought of acting that way towards Aedion, the closest thing she had to a sibling, made her shoulders tense. Sure they teased each other, but the general feeling between them had always been rather warm, even when they had argued.

Aelin uncrossed her legs, leaning forwards towards the other side of the couch, where the boys now sat side by side. «But that’s not why I’m here. You told me Maeve plays favorites. Who?» She stared Dorian directly in the eyes.

«She calls them her ‘cadre’,» he began, his voice a low and quiet rasp. To his right, Chaol rolled his eyes. «They’re a group of boys she began to train when they were young, up until she got a job here. Most of them followed her here. Legend has it that they took a blood oath and aren’t allowed to have any other coach.»

«Bullshit,» Aelin replied instantly, narrowing her eyes. «Or, at least that last part is. Regardless, who’s in this, ‘cadre’?»

«Lorcan, Vaughn, Fenrys, Connall, and Rowan,» Chaol answered, counting off each name on his fingers. «She often includes her assistant coach, Gavriel, with them as well, but he’s obviously too old to compete for a college team.»

Of fucking course Rowan Whitethorn was one of Maeve’s favorites. Why should Aelin have expected anything less? «Okay, but I shouldn’t have to worry about competing against them for spots, right? Since men and women compete separately, doesn’t Maeve bring five men and five women to nationals?»

Dorian crossed his arms and leaned back into the couch, raising his eyebrows as he began to speak. «That would be the fairest way of doing it, I suppose.»

«But that’s not how she’s done it in the past.» Nehemia grimaced and cast a sidelong look at Aelin. «Not that we’ve really ever had five strong female competitors at one time before this year, though.»

«Even with the girls, she played favorites,» Chaol argued. «Like with Lyria.»

Aelin narrowed her eyes, trying to remember all the people she had met over the last few days. «Who’s Lyria?»

A thick silence fell over the room as her three teammates all cast looks at each other. Nehemia was sitting upright, eyebrows raised as she looked at Chaol. Dorian was also looking at his roommate, although he sat in a far more relaxed position, still reclining into the couch. Chaol just looked down at his hands, which held a fork that was now simply hovering above his remaining rice and vegetables, as if the mere mention of Lyria’s name has placed an invisible barrier between him and his dinner.

«Well?» Aelin kept her voice softer now, but couldn’t do much to conceal the impatience biting into her tone.

«A former teammate,» Nehemia supplied.

Aelin had a feeling that the full answer was much longer, but let the subject drop anyway. That at least explained why she hadn’t met Lyria at practice. She nodded, grabbing another fistful of popcorn.

«Now, my turn!» Dorian sat up, rubbing his hands together as he leaned forward. «What happened with Arobynn Hamel?»

Chaol coughed, placing his fork down into his Tupperware as Aelin analyzed Dorian’s face. His eyes were wide, filled with a twinkle that wasn’t quite mischievous, but certainly didn’t seem entirely innocent either. A toothy grin took up most of his face in this moment, but there was no hint of cruelty in his smile. «What do you mean?» Aelin wiggled around in her seat. «A lot happened with Arobynn. I’ve been training with him since I was eight.»

«Why is he under review by the national triathlon organization?»

Aelin shrugged, doing her best to keep her face neutral, even as golden brown hair and bright, brown eyes flashed in the front of her memories. «He’d know better than I do.»

«We’ve heard the rumors.» Dorian frowned. «Most of them are along the lines of Arobynn causing one of his athletes to die?»

Aelin swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat. «His name was Sam,» she managed to get out, hating how quiet her voice had become. She cleared her throat, focusing her eyes on where the wall across the room from her met the ceiling. «It wasn’t Arobynn’s fault, though. At least, not directly.»

Aelin felt a wam hand on her knee, and looked over to see Nehemia staring at her. The dark skinned girl’s eyes were soft as she asked, «What happened?»

«Car accident.» Aelin shook her head. «He and Arobynn were on a training ride, and when they were crossing a street, a car ran the red and crashed into Sam. The impact killed him.» The room had gone silent again, save for Aelin clearing her throat. She looked at Dorian, whose eyes were even wider than before, his mouth partially open, but neither in a grin nor in a frown. «Do you have any water?»

Dorian jumped up with unprecedented speed. «Yeah, sure. I hope you don’t mind tap water.»

«Tap is fine,» Aelin replied with a shrug, her voice sounding more normal this time. She could remember the moment she had found out about Sam’s death vividly, but the boys didn’t need that much detail. She had been out with Aedion for most of that day. He had driven her to her graduation practice that morning, where she had seen Sam, and assured him that she would see him later. Then, she had left, begging Aedion to take her to the big bookstore in downtown Orynth so that she could pick up some new reading material with the birthday money she had managed to save until that point. Aedion had complied, under the conditions that he get to choose where they would get lunch from after. A few hours later, the pair had made their way back to Aelin’s house, laughing about some meme Aedion’s friend had sent him as they carried their shake shack milkshakes and food inside. Aelin had ordered cheese fries. She hadn’t been able to eat cheese fries since that day.

Immediately upon entering her house, she could tell something was up. She could hear her parents talking in hushed tones from the kitchen, which contrasted greatly with the way they normally talked so freely around her. There had almost never been any secrets between her and her parents. Her father had once even told her that the only secret he would ever keep from her was what he had gotten her for her birthday.

The moment Aedion had closed the door and Aelin had called out that they were home, the talking had stopped. Aelin’s parents had emerged from the kitchen together, her mother wringing her hands, her eyes bloodshot. Her father had had his arm wrapped around his wife, and urged Aelin and Aedion to come sit with them in the living room. Aelin had never sat so gingerly on a couch in her life, her food all but forgotten as she placed it on the floor by her feet. Aedion had grabbed her hand almost instinctively. She had squeezed his hand back. Then, her parents had broke the news, and her mind had simply become a void filled only with white noise and static.

«Here you go.» Dorian’s voice brought her back to the present, where he was standing in front of her, extending a cup of water towards her.

«Thanks,» she practically whispered, offering him a small smile before he sat back down. The water tasted metallic as she drank it, reminding her of the taste of her own blood from the split lip she had acquired in one of the fights she had gotten into a few days after Sam’s death. She had managed to get herself into quite a few in the weeks after her graduation and his funeral, almost wishing for someone to get her riled up, or to say something stupid enough to warrant her punching them in the face. She was a walking contradiction those few weeks. Her blood was constantly pumping, her limbs full of energy, even as her heart was numb and her head was empty. The fight she was thinking of in particular, though, had occurred at a grad party of one of her wealthier classmates. After two drinks, the stupid bastard had boasted that Sam was basically asking to be hit by a car, if he had been riding in the streets, as may cyclists did. Aelin had taken her time bloodying him up, even letting him land a few punches on her, for good measure. Hence the split lip. Her parents hadn’t even bothered to scold her when she finally arrived home hours later, bruised and bloody in dirty clothes, and had simply stomped up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door, without so much as a, «hello!»

«So, why is Arobynn under review, then?» Chaol’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Aelin, who set her now empty glass on the table. «When we asked Aedion about it, he seemed fairly certain that Arobynn had sealed his own fate.»

Aelin simply shrugged. «Maybe because Arobynn had been riding with Sam, and didn’t warn him about the car.» Chaol still looked skeptical, and she sighed. «From what I heard, Arobynn was leading, and was crossing the crosswalk when traffic stopped, and then when he turned around to see if Sam had made it across, he saw a car run the red and hit Sam.»

Chaol sat back, humming thoughtfully to himself. Taking a deep breath and looking around her, Aelin began to stand, making her way over to the door, where her backpack still sat. Behind her, Nehemia stated, «It’s getting late. I’d better go.»

Aelin could hear a flurry of activity behind her, including the cracking of joints and some mumbled agreements with Nehemia’s previous statement. She turned around as she grabbed the door handle, intending only to say her goodbyes, but Dorian cut her off. «I’m serious about the bookstore, though, Aelin.» His eyes locked with hers, still bright despite his unsmiling face. «I’m working Friday evening. Come with me after practice.»

Aelin chewed on her lip, moving out of the doorway so Nehemia could exit. «Okay, see you then.» With that, she closed the door behind her, chasing her friend down the hallway at a brisk walk, her only thoughts on how nice a warm shower would feel right about now. 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

It wasn’t until Saturday evening, after a week of classes where almost no work was assigned or done, that Bryce saw all of her roommates together in their room again. The walk to their dorm from the library had taken her all of seven minutes, not a long stretch of time at all, and yet she found her shoulders sagging in relief as the cool breeze of the air conditioning brushed against the bare skin of her shoulders and neck. She listened as the dorm door slammed behind her, dropping her keys and purse at the kitchen table as she stopped to survey her roommates, who were all sitting in the living space. Aelin was on the couch, her head tipped back over the top and her eyes closed, a Microsoft word document still opened on the laptop that sat on the coffee table in front of her. Feyre was frowning at something on her tablet, her fidgeting with the apple pen in her hands her only movement. Across from her, Danika was sprawled over the entire chair, her legs dangling over the armrest as she typed something into her phone at a rapid speed. Bryce was almost surprised to see that she was out and about, given how much Danika had had to drink last night. Then again, Bryce had almost gone shot-for-shot with her, and was still able to wake up early that Saturday morning, going for a run and then hitting the books in the library. When she had last left their dorm earlier that afternoon, though, Danika had still been asleep.

Aelin rubbed her eyes, mumbling, «Oh good, you’re back.» The blonde sat up, stretching her arms over her head and cracking her back before turning to look at Bryce. «We have plans tonight!»

Feyre looked up from her tablet, narrowing her eyes at Aelin. At the same time, Danika raised her eyebrows, the only indication that she was paying attention to the conversation, given that her eyes were still intently focused on her phone.

«We do?» Bryce shifted her weight to her right leg, placing her hands on her hips.

«Yes,» was Aelin’s answer as she closed her laptop. «We haven’t done anything as roommates in a week, and all of the student organizations are hosting a big fair tonight. We’ll go together.» The certainty in Aelin’s voice shook Bryce to her core. It was if her roommate was commanding her to accompany her tonight, as if she had no option to say no. Bryce couldn’t decide whether she respected her roommate’s confidence or resented the way she insisted on being in control.

Luckily, it was Danika who responded. «Well, it’s not my fault that you two were off galavanting with boys last night, leaving me and Bryce to go clubbing without you.» She gave pointed looks to both Feyre and Aelin, her gaze following the fingers she pointed at them as well. The former didn’t even seem to notice, having gone back to frowning at her tablet, her apple pen now tucked behind her ear.

Aelin, however, bristled. «I would hardly call shelving books for five hours, after running ten miles, ‘galavanting with a boy.’» Aelin threw up air quotes around the phrase as she rolled her eyes, earning a snort from Danika.

«Why go to this fair anyway?» Danika finally lifted her gaze from her phone, looking at Aelin. «How good can it be if it’s school run?»

«Two things,» Aelin responded without hesitation. «One, there’s free food, and two, there’s going to be cute guys barbecuing the free food.»

Laughing, Bryce moved her gaze from Aelin to Danika. «She’s got you pegged.»

Danika narrowed her eyes at Bryce, even as Aelin added, «Plus, if we flirt with the right people, we can snag an invite to the after party.» She turned her head slightly to the right, fixing her turquoise eyes on Feyre. «And Feyre’s boy, Tamlin, is going to be there.»

The mention of Tamlin broke Feyre’s focus from her tablet, which she now placed in her lap, a hint of pink coloring her cheeks as she looked up at Aelin. «I’d hardly call him mine.»

«Oh, please,» Aelin snorted as she rolled her eyes, «I saw you crawling into bed this morning as I was waking up.»

Simultaneously, Danika’s eyes went wide and Feyre’s blush deepened. The former scrambled into a seated position, bracing her forearms on her thighs as she leaned forward. Bryce narrowed her eyes, recalling the message Ruhn had sent her almost a week ago now. _«I wouldn’t get mixed up with him, if I were you,»_ he had written. « _I haven’t heard of him doing anything bad himself, necessarily, but from what I’ve heard, his family has done some pretty fucked up shit, and he keeps some interesting company.»_ Bryce had been tempted to press her brother for more details, but had ultimately decided against it, simply thanking him in reply, and ignoring his follow-up message asking her if she wanted to meet up at some point. She had decided that that particular conversation could be saved for a later date.

«You’ve done the walk of shame already?» The grin that was slowly spreading across Danika’s face was almost feral.

«No,» Feyre snapped, wincing at the sound of her own voice only moments after the word left her mouth. Then, «Not really.» The second reply sounded more like a question than an answer. «We went back to his room after going to the botanical gardens, and we talked for a while, and I fell asleep. We didn’t do anything.»

Danika leaned back in her chair, shrugging. «I mean, no judgement if you did. I’m honestly kind of impressed.»

Bryce chewed on her lip and wondered if Danika would be as impressed if she knew what Ruhn had told her about Tamlin. Not that it was something Bryce would ever bring up in front of her roommate, though. That would raise too many questions, mostly regarding how Bryce and Ruhn knew each other. While Aelin and Feyre, having grown up in other states, most likely wouldn’t have the slightest clue who Ruhn was, or more importantly, who Bryce’s biological father was, Danika likely would. Especially since she had grown up in Lunathion. And since Bryce’s father had made it very clear that he wanted nothing to do with her, well…some secrets were better left unsaid, she had decided.

«So, are you in?» While Aelin had phrased her words as a question, it certainly felt more like a threat to Bryce.

«Yeah, sure,» Bryce answered with a shrug. She supposed that if nothing else, scoping out what student organizations existed could be useful. There was a dance group that Juniper had mentioned to her when they had run into each other outside one of the clubs off campus the night before that she wanted to check out, and her father’s reminder to keep her self-defense skills sharp also ran through her head. «What time does it start?»

«Six o’clock!»

Bryce clicked the power button on her phone, the time flashing in big white font on her lock screen. «Gods above, Aelin, that’s in ten minutes!» She barely registered Feyre quickly darting across the room and into her bedroom as she looked at Aelin, who was grinning like mad.

Slowly moving towards her bedroom as well, she drawled, «We’ll just have to be fashionably late then.»

Bryce only rolled her eyes as Danika walked up to her, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her into their own room. For someone who appeared to be fairly bony, she sure had a vice-like grip. The blonde kicked the door closed behind her with her foot before turning her eyes to look at Bryce.

As she attempted to pull free of Danika’s grip, Bryce asked, «What’s up?»

«I have a plan to piss off Sabine tonight, and it doesn’t involve a frat party. Well, at least not immediately.» Danika’s voice had dropped to a whisper, her eyes darting towards the closed door. «I need you to help me.»

Bryce narrowed her eyes and angled her head slightly towards her right, only half meeting her roommate’s gaze. «What is it?»

«I want to dye my hair.»

Bryce blinked, a laugh bubbling in her throat. «That’s it?» She shook her head and smiled as she continued, «From the way your were whispering, I thought you were going to ask me to rob a bank with you.»

«No, that’s my plan for Tuesday night,» Danika retorted with an eye roll. «The thing is, Sabine is friends with a lot of higher-ups at the University, and if any of them see me buying dye, it’ll get back to her.»

«So you need me to buy the dye for you.» It wasn’t a question. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Bryce was able to remove her hand from Danika’s grasp, and walked over to her desk, beginning to move her wallet and keys into a smaller black purse. «I can go to CVS after the fair tonight.»

Bryce could’ve sworn that Danika’s eyes softened a bit, but her tone remained as upbeat and carefree as it usually was. «Perfect! We can reconvene in Connor’s room afterwards!» With that, she strode across the room and opened the door, smiling as she glanced back at Bryce and added, «Thanks.»

«No problem.» Bryce shook her head and followed Danika into the main room, where Feyre and Aelin were already waiting for them. She registered the fast speech of the other girls, but didn’t process a word they were saying as her train of though warped around Connor’s name. She had only seen him once since Danika had introduced them. Apparently, Connor was in her maths course, but it had taken her until Wednesday to realize that. By the time she had seen him and taken up the seat next to him, the lecture had begun, and their professor, a wiry brown-skinned man with an incredibly rapid rate of speech, had made it very clear on the first day of class that the only voice he liked to hear was his own. Bryce had noticed Connor looking at her out of the corner of his eyes whenever he got the chance, though, and had been pretty sure that if the lecture hall had had better lighting, he might have caught her blushing. When the lecture had ended, he had quickly dashed off, claiming that he had another class in ten minutes. Not enough time for Bryce to ask him what Danika had said to him outside of the elevator almost a week ago. Despite that, Bryce was almost positive that whatever Danika had said was more responsible for Connor running off than his need to be on time for his next class was.

She’d see him tonight, though. He had no excuse to run off this time, since Danika had invited her to his room. Maybe she could question him while Danika blowed her hair dry after the dye had set. That way, she wouldn’t hear Bryce prying into her private conversation. The thought had Bryce frowning, though, despite her curiosity. She had become rather fond of her roommate the past few days, appreciating the way her personality lit up a room, and how her laugh seemingly infected anyone around her. Something about her was so fundamentally good and kind, but not at all in a way that could be mistaken for weakness. Bryce had decided pretty early on that she did not want to see what came of those who got on Danika’s bad side. Would prying into her roommate’s secrets get her there herself?

It had only been a week, and yet it seemed that already all four of the girls living in their room had amassed their fair share of secrets. Danika hadn’t mentioned her conversation with Connor since it had happened, and also hadn’t given a reason as to why she suddenly wanted to piss off her mother so badly, though Bryce supposed the latter question did not require much guesswork. Aelin sure hadn’t shared any more details about Sam with them, whom she had apparently loved, despite the fact that their prom picture now hung in the living space as decoration. Had he broken her heart? Gone to a different university? Died? Bryce wasn’t certain which of those explanations was the most reasonable. Aelin also hadn’t mentioned why she loathed Rowan Whitethorn so much, beyond stating that their RA was a prick, which Bryce wasn’t entirely inclined to agree with. He seemed like a pretty normal guy to her. Then there was Feyre and Tamlin, whose potential relationship boggled Bryce’s mind. How had that even happened? Then again, it wasn’t as if Bryce had been entirely forthcoming about Ruhn either, but at least she had good reason for that.

«Hello? Earth to Bryce?»

Bryce blinked as a hand moved up and down in front of her face. In front of her, Aelin smirked, withdrawing her hand.

«Sorry.» Bryce grimaced. «I got a little lost in thought.»

«Clearly,» Aelin replied with a snort. «Sorry to bore you with our conversation.» She looked over at Feyre, who offered Bryce a small smile. «Is there anywhere in particular you want to go first, now that we’re here.»

Bryce had to blink again, shaking her head as she took in her surroundings. They were in fact, there, though she supposed the walk couldn’t have been long, since they were standing on the campus quad just outside of their dorm building. Tables had been set up in rows for the various student organizations, and student milled about between them. At the far end of the quad, some picnic tables and a few small barbecues had been set up, manned by students in their fraternity letters. The smell of the cooking meet drifted towards her, and Bryce was tempted to say that she wanted to head there first, but forced herself to turn back to her roommates instead. «There’s a dance group Juniper mentioned that I want to check out, but I don’t know where their table is.»

«Alright, so we’ll wander then,» Feyre decided, looking in turn at Aelin and Danika, who both shrugged their approval. They began to move towards the first table of the row closest to where they had stood. As they walked, Aelin fell into step beside Bryce, letting Danika and Feyre lead the way in front of them.

«You dance?» There was no hint of surprise or doubt in Aelin’s eyes, which in turn surprised Bryce.

«Yeah, it’s my favorite hobby.» As her words floated through the air, nearly swallowed by the voices of the crowds of people around them, Bryce found herself wondering why she had even been worried that Aelin might doubt her. She really didn’t owe Aelin anything, and if she didn’t think that dancing was a hobby Bryce should pursue, like so many others did, then fuck her.

«That’s great,» was all Aelin exclaimed in reply though, her smile nothing short of genuine. «I used to take dance classes when I was younger, but I never quite got the hang of it. That level of grace, where it seems like you’re just floating across the floor, was always just out of my reach.» The blonde shrugged, turning back to scan the tables to their right.

«I’ve never preformed at a competitive level, or anything.» Bryce frowned. «I was always told that I didn’t have the right, ‘look,’ or, ‘body-type,’ for that level of dance.»

«Okay, first off,» Aelin began, linking her arm through Bryce’s as she turned her attention back to her. Her turquoise eyes were burning with intensity. «Fuck whoever told you that, because you’re fucking hot as hell.» In front of them, Danika snapped her fingers, and Bryce couldn’t help but smile.

«Secondly,» Aelin continued, «you don’t need a specific ‘body-type,’ to be a good dancer. What really matters is the performers emotional connection to the story the music tells, and their ability to convey it with their movements, and I will argue that until the day I die.»

«Well said!» Feyre grinned as she looked over her shoulder at Bryce.

Bryce opened her mouth, attempting to form a reply, or a thanks, but was cut off by Aelin darting away without warning to a table a few feet in front of them. She yelled out something as she weaved through the throngs of people in front of them, but her words were lost to Bryce’s ears as she shoved her way after Aelin, vaguely aware of Feyre and Danika doing the same besides her. When the last of the crowd was behind her, Bryce found Aelin standing behind a short, dark-haired girl in a simple white t-shirt and a pair of jean shorts that looked just a little too big for her small frame. She wore her hair loose, and it fell over her shoulders in waves, down to her mid back as she spoke to Aelin in soft tones.

At that moment, Aelin looked up, and beckoned to Bryce and their other two roommates, who had practically stumbled into Bryce only moments before. «This is Elide.» Aelin pointed at the dark-haired girl, who offered a quick wave in response. «Elide, these are my roommates.»

Feyre spoke up on behalf of them. «Nice to meet you!»

«Elide is a family friend,» Aelin explained, «We used to play together when we were young and our parents had work to do together. Though, we haven’t seen each other in years.»

Elide narrowed her eyes at Aelin, the dark color of her irises almost an exact match for her hair. «If by play, you mean that you chased me and Sol with worms on a stick while Ravi, Ren, and Aedion argued over who was the strongest, then yes, we played as kids.»

Bryce laughed at the image of young Aelin chasing other kids with worms, which really wasn’t that hard to imagine. Beside her, she could hear Feyre doing the same as Aelin’s cheeks flushed with color. Danika was the only one who spoke, her arms crossed as she chuckled and asked, «Why doesn’t that surprise me?»

«I tried to find indoor activities for us to do,» Aelin sputtered. «But you didn’t like to read, and I don’t like needlepoint!»

Elide only laughed, wrapping her arm around Aelin’s shoulder. «It wasn’t all bad, though. You truly were an expert at getting Murtaugh to sneak us extra blackberry tarts.»

At the mention of the memory, Aelin smiled, her hand reaching into her pocket and retrieving her phone, which vibrated in her hand. «All it takes is a few smiles and some wide eyes. You were the mastermind who got the boys to distract each other so we could ditch them in order to sneak extra treats in the first place.» Aelin’s gaze shifted from Elide to her phone, before shifting back to Elide again. «Speak of the devil, Aedion’s looking for me. Want to come? I’m sure he’d be glad to see you.»

«I get the sense we’re being dismissed,» Feyre whispered, laughing slightly.

«So much for quality roommate time,» Danika snorted. She linked her arms through Feyre’s and Bryce’s as Aelin and Elide ran off in the other direction. «Can we get food now? I’m starving!»

Bryce rolled her eyes, inclined to agree nonetheless, but stopped herself before the words could come out of her mouth. «I have to find this dance group first, at least just to put my email down for the listserv, but after that, yes, definitely.»

It took the trio about fifteen minutes to find the dance group’s table, and another five minutes for Bryce to get an answer as to how to join from the dark haired girl who looked down her nose at Bryce as she talked. Bryce looked down her own nose at the girl in return, who eventually relented and informed her that auditions would be taking place in a week, but that there would almost certainly be cuts. At that, Bryce had to fight to not roll her eyes, reassuring herself that it was at least better to try out and then be cut than to not try out at all. If nothing else, her showing up at auditions might piss the girl at the table off just a little more, which would be slightly satisfactory. By the time Bryce had written down her name on the sign-up sheet, she found that her companions had drifted across the row, coming to stand with a tall blond who had his arm wrapped around Feyre.

Squaring her shoulders, Bryce made her way over to her roommates, taking a spot besides Danika and looking the blond up and down. So this was Tamlin. She had to admit, he was kind of good looking, but certainly nothing spectacular. Maybe if he had dropped the half-smile and the relaxed facade that just screamed, «douchebag,» he might be more eye-catching, but that and the way his arm was tense as it sat atop Feyre’s shoulders instantly had Bryce on edge.

«Did you stay for the firework show they do before closing?» Danika’s fingers were tucked into the pockets on the back of her jeans, a closed lipped smile gracing her face as she spoke to Tamlin. «I’ve heard they’re breathtaking.»

«No,» Feyre answered, tugging slightly at the hem of her shirt. «I’ve heard the same thing, but Tamlin wanted to get going.»

«And you listened to him?» Bryce crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at Feyre, electing to ignore Tamlin for the time being. She was sure that if she looked over at him anyway, she would just find that he was scowling at her. Nothing new there, if she was being honest. «A true gentleman would have sucked it up and stayed to make sure you had a good time, is all I’m saying.»

With a shrug, Bryce now turned to face Tamlin, who was indeed scowling at her. She scowled right back, angling her chin slightly upwards to look down her nose at him, same as she had done with the girl at the dance table a few minutes before. His green eyes were narrowed, and there seemed to be a storm brewing in his expression that put Bryce further on edge. She knew his type - had dealt with them many times in her hometown - boys who wanted a good time from a girl and no further connection, and would leave the girl in ruin when they were done with her, as if she were nothing to him.

She could feel the tension in her shoulders, even as Feyre attempted to diffuse the situation. «It’s really no big deal! We have four more years to see the fireworks, anyways. Maybe more, depending on where work and grad school takes us.»

Tamlin smiled down at Feyre, a flicker of warmth in his expression making Bryce hesitate. Just as quick as it had appeared though, it seemed to vanish. Bryce turned to Danika, who was frowning at the couple in front of her. «Do you want to go get food now?»

Danika exhaled heavily through her nose, but nodded. «Are you coming with, Feyre?» The question was flat, as if everyone already knew the answer.

«I’ll catch up with you later,» was Feyre’s only reply, before she let Tamlin lead her off in another direction.

Bryce frowned again at the retreating pair, even as she and Danika made their way over to the barbecues. «There’s something off about him, and I don’t like it.»

Danika only shook her head. «Glad I’m not the only one who got that vibe from him.»

They stopped at the end of a line formed in front of a barbecue that was giving out hotdogs, the smell of the cooking meat beckoning to Bryce’s empty stomach. «So what do we do about it?»

«Dig up dirt on him.» Danika’s voice was flat as she shrugged. «Try to push Feyre away from him. What else can we do?»

Bryce bit her lip, exhaling heavily through her nose. «You’re right, I guess. I just wish she could see what we see.»

«That would definitely make things easier,» Danika mused. «I’ll ask around, and see what I can find.»

 _Here’s to hoping that you’re more successful than I was,_ Bryce thought. Before she could reply, though, she locked eyes with the boy behind the barbecue, and felt the world stop for a short moment. As if this night couldn’t get any stranger.

«Well, if it isn’t Bryce Quinlan!»

Danika raised an eyebrow at Bryce, accepting a paper plate with a hotdog on it from another boy who stood to the side of the barbecue.

«Hello, Flynn,» was all Bryce said in response, forcing a closed-lipped smile on to her face as she locked eyes with the grinning boy behind the barbecue.

«You two know each other?» Danika’s expression hadn’t changed at all since Bryce last looked at her.

«Oh, Bryce and I go way back,» Flynn answered, fixing his smile on Danika now. «I’m friends with her cousin, you see, and she used to come hang out with us when she was younger. Gods, how many years ago was that?»

«Five,» Bryce supplied, wishing the hotdogs on the barbecue would cook faster. «It was five years ago, and I was thirteen, and I haven’t seen you since.»

«Time flies!»

Bryce was half tempted to just walk off without a hotdog at this point, but turned to look at Danika instead, who was now looking at her with narrowed eyes. «I’m going to head to CVS after I get my hot dog,» Bryce decided as she addressed her roommate, «I’ll text you when I’m heading back over.»

«Good idea!» Danika was already taking one step backwards. «I’ll go find everyone else to make sure we’re all there when you come back. Get the craziest colors you can find!»

Bryce nodded, half tempted to ignore the fact that Danika had said, «colors,» plural. She turned back to Flynn, who was now placing a hotdog into a bun. Thank the gods.

«Ruhn should be over there, somewhere.» He inclined his head toward the picnic tables.

Bryce nodded, taking the plate with the hotdog from Flynn before walking in the direction Flynn had gestured to. The universe seemed to have decided that the conversation she had been putting off was going to happen tonight after all, and she began the search for a familiar head of dark hair.It wasn’t hard to pick out Ruhn in the crowd. It never had been when they were younger, and with the new haircut he had evidently gotten since then, it certainly wasn’t difficult now. Regardless, even if he had been hard to find, it wouldn’t have mattered, because Ruhn spotted her first. In an instant, he was at her side. She didn’t make eye contact with him, and instead just took a bit of her hotdog and continued walking towards the sidewalk beyond the picnic tables.

«I was hoping you’d be here,» Ruhn began, breaking the silence as he fell into step beside her.

«I’m actually leaving.» Bryce took another bite and finished chewing before elaborating. «I’m have to go to CVS, so if you want to talk, you’ll have to come with me.»

She looked at Ruhn out of the corner of her eyes, only to see that he, too, looked only ahead as he nodded. «Looks like I’m going to CVS, then.»

They walked in silence for a few minutes then. Despite being side by side, Bryce had never felt like the distance between them had been larger. It hadn’t always been this awkward, she supposed, not when she had been younger and excited to learn that she actually had a sibling, even if he was only her half-brother. Things had changed since then, though, she knew, remembering the words that had sliced like knives through their friendship.

It was Ruhn who broke the silence again. «You’re not getting mixed up with Tamlin, are you?»

Bryce sighed and threw her now empty plate into a trash can that they passed as they walked along the sidewalk. «No, I’m not, but my roommate is, unfortunately.» She turned her head slightly towards him then, taking in the side profile of his face, only to find that it hadn’t changed much since they were younger. «He gives off a new level of bad vibes.»

Ruhn’s lips were a thin line. «I’ve heard stories of the messed-up shit his father has done, although I can’t really fault him for his father’s actions, but some people have told me that he helped his dad do it.»

«Right, you’ve already mentioned that. Care to elaborate?»

He shook his head, his dark hair brushing over his shoulders as he did. «I’ve heard more bad stories about his friend - that girl, Ianthe?»

«Don’t know her,» Bryce interjected, shrugging.

«Well, she’s done some fucked up shit.»

«So you keep saying,» she retorted with a sigh. «Like what?»

«Not my story to tell,» he replied.

Bryce only rolled her eyes, stopping to face him fully and placing her hands on her hips. «Gee, thanks for all the insightful help.» Bryce could have sworn that she saw him wince, and, with a softer voice, she added, «Though I suppose that gives me a place to start.»

«I think you’ll find that there’s greater forces at play in this school.»

«Oh, please,» Bryce snorted, «Cut the ominous bullcrap.»

«And where’s the fun in that?» Ruhn smiled now, turning to face Bryce fully as well as he pulled his wallet out of his pocket. «Here,» he said, pressing a pile of bills into her hand. «To cover whatever you need at CVS. I should probably be heading back now. Can’t leave Flynn alone around fire for too long.»

Bryce only looked at the pile of money that now sat in her hand as she replied, «Thanks.»

«Don’t mention in,» Ruhn responded with a shrug, his hands in his pants pockets as he began to walk back towards the fair. «Let me know if you need anything else, in the future. Or you could just invite yourself over, again.»

Bryce’s eyes narrowed, even as the corners of her lips began to tug upwards. «And why would I ever want to do that?»

«Who knows?» A smile had appeared on Ruhn’s face as well. «You didn’t always used to need a reason.» With that, he turned and strode away, leaving Bryce with the money and more information than she had had before.

Would it even be of any help, though? Feyre was certainly more than capable of making her own decisions and handling herself, and yet Bryce had to wonder just how long it might take her roommate to come to her senses. She had seemed so observant when Bryce had first met her, her eyes practically drinking in every detail about the world around her, but somehow it appeared that Feyre had missed the signs surrounding Tamlin.

 _Maybe love is blind,_ Bryce thought as she entered CVS, beelining for the hair dyes. It didn’t take her long to decide on some neon colors that practically screamed Danika’s name. Within minutes, Bryce was back outside, pocketing Ruhn’s extra money and texting Danika that she was on her way.

When she made it back to campus, she found Danika waiting for her outside the door of their dorm building. «There’s a lot of people in that dorm room,» Danika explained in greeting as Bryce approached. «And I couldn’t wait to see what you got.»

«I picked four of the brightest neon colors I could find,» she replied, passing the plastic bag to Danika, who looked inside it with the excitement of a child on Christmas day.

«You are incredible!» Danika slung her arm around Bryce’s shoulder, the now familiar weight of it comforting. «I’m thinking multi-color streaks! Can you do that?»

Bryce bit her lip, eyeing her roommate. «I’ve never dyed hair before,» she admitted.

«What? Come on, you seem like the person all of your friends would turn to for this kind of thing!»

«I didn’t have many friends at home.» The weight of the words and the silence that followed them hit Bryce harder than she had expected them to, and she floundered as she searched for a way to breach the silence.

Like a lifeline, Danika came to the rescue. «Well, it’s their loss, really.» She poked the call button for the elevator with her free hand, the cvs bag rustling as she did so. «And as for the dye, there’s a first time for everything. I’m sure we can figure it out. And if it becomes a hot mess, we can get drunk and laugh about it tomorrow.»

Bryce’s grin widened as Danika’s eyes met hers, all of her other thoughts and concerns melting into the background of her mind. Her other worries could wait. Tonight was a night for fun. «Sounds like a plan.»

Bryce could have sworn that even the elevator’s ding sounded happy as it arrived, its doors opening wide to let the girls and the giddy energy surrounding them on board.


End file.
